Boeing’s bad year is not over yet.
According to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), an Alaska Airlines Boeing 737-700 was forced to turn around on Sunday after one of its engines failed in mid-air.
The government agency said the Oakland-bound plane departed Seattle-Tacoma International Airport on Sunday afternoon but was soon forced to turn back after the crew reported possible engine failure.
An Alaska spokesperson told Business Insider that the Boeing 737’s left engine failed shortly after takeoff.
Alaska Airlines Flight 1240 turned around and landed safely in Sea-Tac at around 1:30 p.m. local time, according to the FAA, which announced it was investigating the incident.
“The crew deserves credit for following standard procedures for this situation and landing safely and without incident,” the Alaska spokesperson said. “We worked hard to care for our guests and facilitate their trip to Oakland yesterday afternoon, and we apologize for the inconvenience.”
A passenger on board told local news channel Kiro 7 that the engine failure was terrible, but praised the pilots for their handling of the situation.
Boeing did not immediately respond to a request for comment from BI.
The incident came at a time when Boeing is facing increasing scrutiny over a series of mechanical problems.
In January, an Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 Max 9 was forced to make an emergency landing after a door panel came loose in mid-flight, leaving a gaping hole in the plane thousands of feet above the ground.
As the Washington Post reported in April, aviation authorities have launched investigations into at least six incidents involving Boeing aircraft.
The news agency reported that the company’s aircraft have experienced engine failures, lost wheels, a falling engine cover and a mid-air nosedive since the beginning of the year.
In May a Boeing 737-800 The aircraft lost one of its exterior panels in mid-flight.
During a Senate hearing in June, the former Boeing CEO David Calhoun defended the company’s safety record.
Calhoun was replaced earlier this month by Kelly Ortberg, the former head of avionics company Rockwell Collins.
In another setback, NASA chose SpaceX rather than Boeing to bring home two astronauts stranded on the International Space Station after weeks of deliberations over safety concerns.
The astronauts were stranded after the Boeing Starliner’s reaction control system engines failed during the flight to the ISS in June. The spacecraft’s helium system also leaked.
