United's string of scary safety events likely has nothing to do with Boeing

18.03.2024 - 18:23 / insider.com / Richard Aboulafia / Airlines

From a missing panel to a tire falling off midair, United Airlines has experienced multiple high-profile safety incidents over the past few weeks.

With the exception of one, a hydraulics issue on an Airbus A320, most of the mishaps have involved Boeing planes, helping fuel a PR crisis at the planemaker and further shaking flyer confidence — even when they have little to do with the jets' manufacturer.

These include:

a 757 that was forced to divert due to wing damage,

a second 757 that suffered an engine failure over the Pacific Ocean

a 737 Max that rolled onto the grass in Houston

another Max that experienced a "stuck" rudder pedal after landing

a 737-800 (not the Max) that landed without a fuselage panel

and a 777 that lost its wheel after taking off from San Francisco, among others

Although the stuck rudder pedal could point to yet another potential flaw in Boeing's Max aircraft, the manufacturer — despite an ongoing quality-control controversy — may not be at fault for the others.

Instead, some aviation experts have pointed to a possible trend in United's maintenance safety systems.

"That's not really a Boeing problem. That's an old airplane," ArthurRosenberg said on Fox News on Sunday, referring to the 22-year-old 777. "Tires get changed, maintenance people, mechanics at United, change the tires. Something went amiss. I would say, on a recent tire change or some repair, which caused that to come off."

Regarding the missing panel, he said, "that smacks of a maintenance problem of United Airlines." The 737 plane involved is about 25 years old, according to Planespotters.

Aviation analyst Richard Aboulafia gave Business Insider a similar take.

"If it's an older jet like a 737NG, it's very definitely a maintenance issue," he said. "There's still a possible reputational impact to Boeing, but maintenance is up to airlines and third-party providers."

ABC News aviation expert Steve Ganyard speculated the wing damage on United's nearly 30-year-old 757 could have been a "kind of fatigue."

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"That airplane is fairly old, and perhaps the part just gave way because of age or because of use, or it could have been some sort of maintenance problem where it wasn't properly rigged, and it was rubbing against the wing itself," he explained.

United Airlines flight #UA354, a Boeing 757-224, diverted to Denver International Airport, Colorado, USA, after pieces from the inner leading edge slat of the right-hand wing had broken off.pic.twitter.com/gt33YPKNii

No injuries were reported across the string of events, and they appear largely unconnected in regard to plane type, route, and specific anomalies.

Former Delta Air Lines chief pilot, Alan Price, noted safety redundancies in some events played out as