Join Simon Calder’s mailing list for complimentary travel tips and discounts on expenses.
Get Simon Calder’s Travel email
On Saturday, a Delta Air Lines passenger jet, a Boeing 757, had its nose wheel detach while preparing for takeoff at Atlanta’s international airport.
According to a notice filed by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) on Monday, the nose gear of Delta Air Lines Flight 982 detached and rolled down a hill while the plane was getting ready to depart for Bogota, Colombia.
The report stated that all 184 passengers and six crew members were unharmed during the incident at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport.
The air traffic control audio included in the FAA report stated that a controller informed the pilot that one of the nose tires had become detached and rolled off the runway behind them, according to ABC news.
According to the publication, the FAA report stated that it landed on the southern side of the runway.
According to a spokesperson from Delta, as reported by The New York Times, the passengers were put on a different flight.
Boeing has not yet released a statement regarding the incident. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) stated that their investigation of the incident is ongoing.
The event occurred during a time of increased examination of the airplane company by government regulators, after a fuselage panel on an eight-week-old Boeing 737 MAX 9 plane flown by Alaska Airlines experienced a mid-air blowout, creating a large hole.
Earlier this month, Alaska Airlines discovered loose bolts on multiple aircraft models. As a result, they cancelled numerous flights after the FAA declared that they would be halting inspections of Boeing 737 Max 9s.
In recent years, Boeing has been involved in two deadly crashes. One occurred in October 2018 when a Max 8 jet malfunctioned and triggered an anti-stall system, causing a plane to go down near Jakarta, Indonesia. Tragically, all 189 individuals on board were killed. The following year, a different Max 8 operated by Ethiopian Airlines crashed, resulting in the loss of 157 lives.
Additional information provided by various news organizations
The source is independent.co.uk