On takeoff from an airport in Rome, a Boeing 787 was seen to have flames spitting from an engine before making an emergency landing at the same airport. Thankfully, nobody was hurt, and the aircraft made a safe return.
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The 787 aircraft left the Rome airport on its way across the world to Shenzhen airport in China. The plane, operated by Hainan Airlines, barely made it out of the country before turning back. Shortly after leaving the runway, the Boeing 787 ran into technical troubles and started belching flames from its engine.
A video released on YouTube shows the intermittent flames firing out the back of the nearside Boeing engine. The struggling turbine can be heard popping and banging as the plane comes back down. After making an emergency landing in Rome, the 249 passengers and 16 crew members all safely exited the plane.
Boeing Says the Engine Flames Were Not Their Fault
In a statement released by the Italian coastguard, the engine flames on the Boeing 787 were due to a bird strike. Hitting birds with a jet engine is incredibly detrimental to both birds and plane engines. It is uncommon but can cause serious complications like the ones in this case.
This incident has nothing to do with the allegedly shoddy way in which Boeing has been producing their aircraft. I would never dare to say such a thing, in case I ended up like whistleblower John Barnett or Joshua Dean. The several issues with Boeing aircraft making emergency landings after engine fires are all related to birds and nothing else.
Statistically, aircraft are the safest mode of transport with the chances of being in a crash at a very comfortable 1 in 1.2 million. The chances of dying in an aircraft are as little as 1 in 11 million. So, I think it's fair to say that if you're in a Boeing, and you do see flames coming from the engine, you're still in pretty good hands.
However, if these various incidents are a sign of reduced aircraft quality control, there may be some reason for concern. As a frequent flier, I don't want to be worrying about a few seagulls every time we leave a runway.
