A Southwest Airlines 737-MAX8 made an emergency landing. Not for the reason you expect
A Southwest Airlines 737-MAX8 aircraft made an emergency landing at Orlando International Airport Tuesday afternoon, the FAA confirmed to the Miami Herald, but not for the software problem believed to be involved in two crashes within five months.
“The crew of Southwest Airlines Flight 8701, a Boeing 737 MAX aircraft, declared an emergency after the aircraft experienced a reported engine problem while departing from Orlando International Airport in Florida about 2:50 p.m. today,” an FAA spokesman said via email. “The aircraft returned and landed safely in Orlando.”
The plane carried no passengers aside from the flight crew. It was being ferried to Victorville, California, where it would be stored while federal transportation authorities investigate the 737-MAX8 aircraft.
The FAA is investigating the Orlando incident.
An Ethiopian Airlines crash on March 10 killed 157 people five months after a Lion Air crash in Indonesia killed all 189 people aboard in October. Both involved Boeing 737-MAX8 aircraft, which were soon after grounded in the United States as well as many other countries.
This grounding caused cancellations of flights out of Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood, where Southwest is strong, and out of Miami International Airport, where American Airlines dominates business.
Southwest has 34 Boeing MAX aircraft in its fleet, while American has 24.
This story was originally published March 26, 2019 at 6:53 PM.
