US aviation body orders emergency inspection following Denver incident

Federal Aviation Administration officials ordered the inspections after examining the hollow fan blade that failed, triggering the failure Saturday, the agency said in an emailed statement.

US aviation regulators ordered emergency inspections of fan blades on the type of engine that failed Saturday over suburban Denver, spraying metal debris over a wide area.

United Airlines flight UA328, carrying 231 passengers and 10 crew on board, returns to Denver International Airport with its starboard engine on fire after it called a Mayday alert, over Denver, Colorado, US. (REUTERS)

Federal Aviation Administration officials ordered the inspections after examining the hollow fan blade that failed, triggering the failure Saturday, the agency said in an emailed statement. Japan’s Civil Aviation Bureau ordered operators of the Boeing Co. 777 involved in Saturday’s incident to halt operations, according to the FAA.

Meanwhile, Japan’s transport ministry on Sunday ordered ANA Holdings and Japan Airlines to ground Boeing 777 planes they operate following the Denver engine failure. ANA operates 19 planes and JAL 13 with Pratt & Whitney’s PW4000 engine that saw a failure with United Airlines plane.