Boeing recommended the grounding of 128 777-engined aircraft Pratt & Whitney, of which 69 are in operational service and 59 are already stored. The global fleet of Boeing 777 aircraft has 1.656 units, most of which are powered by engines created by General Electric.
There were also two serious incidents involving Boeing 777 aircraft powered by engines Pratt & Whitney, one that involved a Boeing 777 United Airlines, in 2018, and the other belonged to Japan Airlines and took place in December 2020.
United Airlines has already detained the 24 Boeing 777 aircraft powered by engines Pratt & Whitney.
Japan and Korea are the only countries in Asia-Pacific where Boeing 777 aircraft powered by Pratt & Whitney engines operate.
Japan Airlines retained on the ground 13 x Boeing 777 (9 x B777-200 and 4 x B777-300). JAL wants to permanently withdraw the entire fleet of Boeing 777 aircraft, the 9 777-200 aircraft will be withdrawn by December 2021, and the 777-300 aircraft by March 2022.
Also, All Nippon Airways (ANA) detained 19 of its Boeing 777 aircraft on the ground. The airline said it would begin withdrawing aircraft in the next period.
Korean Air has in its fleet 16 Boeing 777 aircraft, powered by P&W engines, 12 x Boeing 777-200 and 4 x Boeing 777-300. The aircraft have already been detained on the ground.
Japan and Korea are the only countries in Asia-Pacific where Boeing 777 aircraft with PW4000 engines operate, with an average fleet age of 17.1 years.
This decision by Boeing was made following a recent event when a Boeing 777-200 United suffered major damage immediately after takeoff and the remains fell in an inhabited area.
"While the NTSB investigation is ongoing, we have recommended suspending operations for 777 aircraft."
In a statement, Boeing said: "Boeing is actively monitoring recent events related to United Airlines Flight 328. While the NTSB investigation is ongoing, we have recommended suspending operations for 777 aircraft that are in service or stored until the FAA identifies the appropriate inspection protocol. These are 777 aircraft powered by Pratt & Whitney 4000-112 engines. ”
"Boeing supports the decision of the Japanese Civil Aviation Bureau and the FAA's action to suspend the operations of 777 aircraft that are powered by Pratt & Whitney 4000-112 engines. We work with regulators and as they take action, the planes are detained on the ground and further inspections are carried out by Pratt & Whitney. ”
FAA Administrator Steve Dickson also issued a statement: "After consulting with the aviation safety expert team regarding the engine failure of a Boeing 777 aircraft in Denver, I instructed them to issue an emergency airworthiness directive that would require immediate or intensified inspections of Boeing 777 aircraft equipped with Pratt & engines. Whitney PW4000. This will probably mean that some planes will be taken out of service. "
"Fan blades should be inspected more often."
"We analyzed all the safety data available after the incident. Based on the initial information, we concluded that the inspection of the fan blades should be performed more often. These blades are unique to this engine model and are used exclusively on Boeing 777 aircraft. ”
"The FAA is working closely with other civil aviation authorities to make this information available to affected operators. FAA aviation safety experts will have a meeting with Pratt & Whitney and Boeing engineers to finalize the details of the Airworthiness Directive to ensure that only appropriate aircraft are delivered. The exact details of the inspection will be specified in the emergency order. ”