An Atlas Air Boeing 747-8 cargo plane shot sparks through the Miami sky last week after one of its engines failed shortly after taking off from Miami International Airport. The plane was heading to Luis Muñoz Marin International Airport in Puerto Rico, though it is not known exactly what cargo this plane was carrying at the time of the engine failure. Luckily, the pilot landed the aircraft safely back at the Miami airport after the catastrophic engine failure.
After a string of very public failures, Boeing can’t seem to catch a break. Most recently, a door plug failed on a Boeing 737 Max on a flight from Portland to Seattle, leaving a gaping hole in the side of a passenger-carrying plane. That lead to United Airlines and Alaska Airlines grounding their commercial fleet of their Boeing 737 Maxes. The Daily Beast reports,
White Plains, New York-based Atlas Air was founded in 1992, operates “the world’s largest fleet of Boeing 747 freighter aircraft,” and also leases 777, 767, and 737s to commercial customers for cargo and passenger flights, according to the company’s website. Atlas Air “maintains an industry best-practice Safety program meeting all FAA, ICAO and IATA standards,” the company says. “Atlas Air was among the aviation industry leaders participating in pilot Safety Management System (SMS) programs before they were required.”
It is unclear what flight 5Y095 was hauling Thursday night, but Atlas operates some 60,000 flights each year to destinations across the globe, according to corporate materials. Its customers include the U.S. military, Amazon, FedEx, Samsung, and the National Football League, and its aircraft carry everything from pharmaceuticals to livestock to fresh flowers to drilling equipment.
A witness saw the explosion and recorded the cargo jet shooting sparks out of its engine as it took a wide turn to perform the emergency landing back at Miami International Airport. An Atlas Air representative told The Daily Beast that safety is always their top priority and they will be conducting a thorough investigation. When The Daily Beast reached out to Boeing for comment, the company said it would be supporting the NTSB investigation into the incident, but referred the publication to the jet engine manufacturer GE Aviation for comment. GE Aviation did not immediately respond for comment.