A Boeing aircraft was forced to make an emergency landing in Los Angeles on Wednesday night in the latest bit of negative publicity for the company.
No injuries were reported when the Boeing 777 operated by American Airlines touched down safely at Los Angeles International Airport just before 9 p.m., KTLA-TV reported.
According to the outlet, American Airlines Flight 345 was bound for Dallas when the pilot notified air traffic controllers of a “possible mechanical issue.”
KCAL-TV reported the issue was a blown-out tire.
The latest headache for Boeing comes less than a week after one of the company’s jets lost a tire in midair over San Francisco — one of two such issues at the same airport days apart.
Boeing aircraft carrying 249 people was forced to make an emergency landing at LAX tonight due to a “possible mechanical problem.”
This is the sixth safety issue involving Boeing in the past 10 days. pic.twitter.com/6wEtQDGuU4
— D. Michael Tripi (@DMTripi) March 14, 2024
Earlier this week, a Boeing jet operated by United Airlines was seen leaking hydraulic fluid during its takeoff from San Francisco, The Sun reported:
Watch shock moment United Airlines Boeing 777 leaks hydraulic fluid during takeoff in 5th safety breach in just a weekhttps://t.co/Ao7PvDBYYxhttps://t.co/Ao7PvDBYYx
— The Sun (@TheSun) March 13, 2024
The aircraft was headed for Australia but was instead forced to turn around and land in California.
That came after another United Boeing jet lost pieces of its landing gear on takeoff to Japan.
No injuries were reported in either event in San Francisco.
In January, an Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 MAX jet lost a door at high altitude. It was later discovered the door was missing crucial bolts that were overlooked during maintenance.
The Justice Department has opened a criminal investigation into Boeing following the mid-air door blowout on an Alaska Airlines flight in January. A recent incident involves technical issues on a flight between Australia and New Zealand that left nearly 50 passengers injured. pic.twitter.com/3S0xZKA5Gj
— CBS Evening News (@CBSEveningNews) March 11, 2024
The Alaska Airlines mishap resulted in Boeing’s 737 MAX 9s being grounded.
Should airlines pull Boeing planes from service for thorough inspections?
The line was returned to service weeks later upon clearance from the Federal Aviation Administration.
A former Boeing employee who became a whistleblower died of what authorities called a “self-inflicted” gunshot wound in South Carolina on Saturday, ABC News reported.
At the time of his death, John Barnett was in Charleston to offer a deposition against the company.
Barnett, who spent three decades with Boeing, said the company was cutting corners with safety.
His attorneys, Robert Turkewitz and Brian Knowles, issued a statement after his death in which they expressed shock.
“He was in very good spirits and really looking forward to putting this phase of his life behind him and moving on,” they said. “We didn’t see any indication he would take his own life. No one can believe it.”
