The Federal Aviation Administration said late Sunday it was ordering immediate inspections of Boeing Co. 777 aircraft equipped with the type of engine that broke apart in the air and scattered debris over a Colorado town over the weekend.
“This will likely mean some airplanes will be removed from service,” FAA Administrator Steve Dickson said in a statement.
The move comes as safety investigators in the U.S. are looking into why the Pratt & Whitney-made engine of a United Airlines Holdings Inc. 777-200 jet failed shortly after the Honolulu-bound flight took off Saturday, forcing the plane to return to the airport.
“We reviewed all available safety data following yesterday’s incident,” Mr. Dickson said. “Based on the initial information, we concluded that the inspection interval should be stepped up for the hollow fan blades that are unique to this model of engine, used solely on Boeing 777 airplanes.”
United is the only affected airline in the U.S. the FAA said. Regulators in Japan have ordered airlines to stop flying aircraft with the same engine type until further notice, the FAA said.
