Here we are again, folks. Over in New Zealand, a Boeing passenger plane landed safely after an engine fire. The Virgin Australia Boeing aircraft was originally destined for Melbourne, per NBC. However, the sudden fire caused a pivot toward Invercargill, a city in New Zealand. Fire trucks met the plane as it arrived to address the situation quickly.
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"The cause of the engine fire and the number of passengers on board the plane were not immediately known," a Queenstown Airport spokesperson said.
However, Virgin Australia would later send an emailed statement claiming "a possible bird strike." According to one of New Zealand's aviation websites, "The rate of birds striking planes at New Zealand's airports is about four in every 10,000 aircraft movements. ... The consequences vary in severity depending on where the aircraft is hit, the size of the birds and the pilot's reaction."
The Engine Of A Boeing Plane Catches On Fire
There comes a point, truthfully, where reporting on a plane-related close call or outright disaster becomes exhausting. Yesterday, New Zealand's prime minister, Christopher Luxon, was in trouble. Why? Because one of New Zealand's planes had "maintenance issues" and had to land in Papua New Guinea.
The prime minister managed to catch a last-minute commercial flight to Tokyo. The trade minister, Todd McClay, and dozens of business leaders and journalists? Stranded. After the discovery of blown fuses on the NZDF Boeing 757.
It's a seemingly unending series of disasters. Blown fuses. Boeing Dutch rolls. The death of a Vice President -- and in that piece I commented about the frequency of these incidents, too! What's it going to take for the aviation industry to look inward and get a grip on these issues?
Realistically, a few times? Could be unfortunate, unavoidable accidents. Unquestionably, something is wrong. Surely, changes must be on the horizon. For the sake of my sanity, certainly, and for yours having to read so many pieces about rogue plane errors.
However, all we can do is wait and hope. Who knows, maybe there are already plans to address these issues. Hopefully, there's a substantial course correction before many people seriously get hurt -- or worse.
