24-1-2024 (ATLANTA) A Boeing 757 passenger jet operated by Delta Air Lines experienced a nose wheel mishap over the weekend as it was preparing for takeoff at Atlanta’s international airport, according to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
The incident occurred on Saturday (Jan 20), and Boeing has not provided comments outside regular business hours.
This event comes at a time when federal regulators are intensifying their scrutiny of Boeing following a mid-air blowout of a fuselage panel on an 8-week-old Boeing 737 MAX 9 jet flown by Alaska Airlines. The blowout did not result in serious injuries, but the FAA grounded 171 MAX 9s after the January 5 incident.
In the aftermath, the FAA recommended inspections of door plugs on Boeing 737-900ER jets to ensure proper securing, as some carriers reported loose hardware during inspections of grounded MAX 9 planes.
The preliminary FAA notice filed on Monday regarding the detachment of the 757 nose gear stated that none of the 184 passengers or six crew members on board were injured during the incident at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport. The report mentioned that the aircraft was lining up and waiting for takeoff when the “nose wheel came off and rolled down the hill.”
The Delta flight was scheduled for Bogota, Colombia when the mishap occurred, and a Delta spokesperson confirmed that passengers were accommodated on a replacement flight. Boeing declined to comment, directing inquiries to the airline, while the FAA stated that its investigation into the incident is ongoing.
