737 emergency landing: A Boeing 737 Max 8 from Southwest Airlines experienced an emergency engine after taking off from Orlando

A Boeing 737 Max 8 from Southwest Airlines carried without passengers encountered engine problems shortly after takeoff, prompting pilots to return to Orlando International Airport. The plane was heading to Victorville, California.

The aircraft's No. 2 engine began to overheat after take-off, after ingesting debris on the runway, which resulted in an accumulation of exhaust gases. Southwest Airlines says the engine has not exploded.

the Boeing 737 Max 8 the aircraft was thoroughly examined following two fatal accidents at Indonesia and Ethiopia similarities in the flight data, reinforcing fears that the cause of the accident could be due to a single automatic flight control system at 737 Max 8. It is currently grounded by the FAA for passenger flights, although airline crews are allowed to fly between airports.

In a statement about Tuesday's incident, Southwest Airlines said: "The Southwest 8701 operating as a passenger-free ferry on board was returned to the Orlando International Airport shortly before 3:00 pm EDT after the pilots reported a performance problem with one of the engines shortly after take-off, the aircraft was scheduled to land at the Southern California Airport in Victorville, California, for short-term storage. The Boeing 737 MAX 8 will be transferred to our Orlando Maintenance Center for review. "

In a statement, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) confirmed that Southwest Airlines flight 8701 was a Boeing 737 Max and that the pilots "had declared the state of emergency after a problem of engine had been reported, "before returning and landing in Orlando. The FAA confirmed that she was investigating the incident.

The Boeing 737 Max 8 aircraft has become a source of great controversy around the world, and security officials have put it on the ground overseas and in the United States. Although the investigators have not yet determined the cause of the two accidents – Lion Air Flight 610 on October 29, 2018 and Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 on March 10, 2019 – the addition of anti-stall software to the 737 Max 8 has become the focus of development. The MCAS system automatically pushes the aircraft into a dive under certain circumstances, which may surprise pilots unfamiliar with the system and override their commands.

Boeing and the FAA decided that the pilots did not need to be informed of the change to the flight control system when deploying the 737 Max 8, thus helping the airlines avoid the cost of the flight. 39, further reconversion of pilots. The Department of Transportation is currently studying how the FAA certified the Boeing 737 Max 8 aircraft and approved the MCAS system.

Hours after the incident with the Southwest Airlines jet, Sen. Edward Markey, D-Massachusetts, said he planned to send a letter Wednesday to the CEO. from Boeing asking him to answer several questions regarding the airliner Max plane, especially about the security features provided by the company. for a fee.

"A function – the attack angle indicator – displays the sensor readings of the system in the cockpit.Other characteristic – a warning light – alerts the drivers if the sensors of the aircraft provide different readings, which could help the pilots and mechanics to detect a sensor "malfunction", reads in the letter, which should be co-signed by several colleagues of Markey. "The FAA and other aviation regulators have not required these features to be delivered as standard on the 737 Max 8 and 9 … We are writing to ask for answers about Boeing's current practice. to charge airlines an extra charge for critical safety systems that are important for the operation of an aircraft. "

The letter asks Dennis Muilenburg, Boeing's CEO, to respond by April 16th.

"Safety must be an integral part of our fleets, anchored in every lock, sensor and line of code of an aircraft," the letter says. "Boeing should include all critical safety systems that contribute to the safe operation of an aircraft in the standard cost of buying aircraft for the airlines." jet planes that carry hundreds of passengers should never be sold to the card ons. "

Kris Van Cleave and Peter Martinez contributed to this report.