Washington, DC (AP) —
Boeing CEO Dave Calhoun visited the Capitol building in Washington, DC on Thursday (24/1), to meet members of the US Congress to discuss the safety of its passenger plane, the Boeing Max 9.
An ongoing investigation by U.S. aviation regulators and sharp criticism of Boeing inside and outside the aviation industry prompted Calhoun's visit to Washington on Wednesday.
His visit came a day after a Boeing 757 operated by Delta Air Lines lost a front wheel while preparing to take off from Atlanta. The incident is the latest in a series of incidents involving Boeing aircraft.
Delta flight 982 bound for Bogota, Colombia was preparing to fly at Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport when the incident occurred at around 11.15am on Saturday (20/1), according to the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), which is also investigating the incident.
There were no injuries, a Delta spokesman told the Associated Press, adding that the wheels were reinstalled and the plane was operational again a day later.
Earlier this month, a door covering panel on an Alaska Boeing 737 Max 9 broke free mid-flight at 16,000 feet (4,900 meters) over Oregon, leaving a gaping hole in the side of the fuselage. Since then, Alaska Airlines and United have reported finding loose bolts and other problems with door panels on an undisclosed number of other Max 9 planes.
A number of accidents involving Boeing aircraft have occurred in recent years, including two Max 8 crashes in Indonesia and Ethiopia, which killed a total of 346 people in 2018 and 2019. (rd/jm)