Boeing’s troubled 787 is facing yet another safety issue as a United Airlines plane was forced to make an unscheduled landing after cockpit navigation screens failed.
There was mild panic in the cockpit during a flight from Los Angeles to London when both the captain’s primary flight and navigation displays did not show a blank screen.
While flying at an altitude of 35,000 feet in a remote area above Canada’s icy and inhospitable Hudson Bay, the plane’s flight management computers entered “a degraded mode with limited capabilities,” the Transportation Safety Board of Canada reported.
The report added that the commercial plane did not have lateral navigation – or LNAV – an autopilot mode that follows a programmed flight path.
Boeing’s troubled 787 is facing another safety issue as a United Airlines plane was forced to make an unscheduled landing after cockpit navigation screens failed
While flying at an altitude of 35,000 feet in a remote area above Canada’s icy and inhospitable Hudson Bay (pictured), the plane’s flight management computers entered “a degraded mode with limited capabilities,” the Transportation Safety Board of Canada reported.
A ‘Mayday’ emergency was subsequently declared, although the pilot was still able to use other functions to communicate with ground crew via satellite and radio.
The September 26 flight had to make an emergency landing at Chicago O’Hare International Airport, where United has a large maintenance base.
It took more than two hours for the plane to reach the ‘windy city’, but the pilots managed to land the plane without incident – 6,000 kilometers from the planned destination.
A United Airlines spokesperson confirmed that the plane was forced to divert “to address a potential technology issue.” Business insider reported.
The flight to London’s Heathrow Airport subsequently had to be canceled and passengers had to book alternative flights.
The aircraft was grounded for over a day, but has been back in service since September 28.
The September 26 flight had to make an emergency landing at Chicago O’Hare International Airport, where United has a large maintenance base. Pictured: The interior of United Airlines’ Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft.
In addition to United Airlines’ alleged mistakes, Boeing, the world’s largest aerospace company, has also faced intense criticism following the release of its 787 Dreamliner fleet
The incident comes just days before the Federal Aviation Administration confirmed it would drop a “safety probe” into United Airlines after a slew of accidents, including an incident in which a United plane’s landing gear failed, causing the plane to roll onto the grass . at the end of the runway.
In addition to United Airlines’ alleged mistakes, Boeing, the world’s largest aerospace company, has also faced intense criticism following the release of its 787 Dreamliner fleet.
In 2013, the FAA grounded all 787s until a revised battery design was approved.
As of 2019, the 787 experienced quality control issues that slowed production and led to a near-total halt in deliveries from 2021 to 2022.
And in August of this year, the leading manufacturer of commercial jet aircraft was again inspected by the FAA regarding incidents in which aircraft were found nosediving uncontrollably in mid-air.
Since then, a whistleblower has raised numerous safety concerns about the 787 fleet and the FAA investigation is ongoing.