Passengers evacuate plane on slides after Delta flight aborts takeoff
Elijah Nouvelage/Bloomberg via Getty Images
(ATLANTA) — Hundreds of passengers were forced to evacuate on slides during a snowstorm after their Delta flight aborted takeoff from Atlanta due to an engine issue Friday morning, the airline said.
Delta Flight 2668 was traveling from Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport to Minneapolis-St. Paul when it suspended takeoff shortly after 9 a.m. due to “an indication of an engine issue,” the airline said.
Passengers exited the Boeing 757-300 aircraft through emergency slides and ground transportation was used to take them back to the terminal.
Four passengers reported minor injuries in the incident, with one transported to an area hospital, the airport said. The other three were treated at the scene, the airport said. The nature of their injuries was not immediately clear.
The plane was carrying 201 passengers and seven crew members.
“Nothing is more important than the safety of our people and customers, and we apologize to our customers for their experience,” Delta said in a statement. “We are working to support our customers and get them to their destinations as safely and quickly as possible.”
The Federal Aviation Administration said it will investigate.
Operations at the Atlanta airport were delayed due to the incident and the “ongoing severe weather,” the airport said in a statement.
Approximately 2 inches of snow had fallen by noon in Atlanta, the most in seven years, as a massive winter storm impacts the South.
More than 2,600 flights across the country have been canceled as of midday Friday due to the storm, with Atlanta, Charlotte, Dallas and Nashville seeing the biggest impacts.
(EL SEGUNDO, Calif.) — Mattel has apologized after boxes for some of its new dolls from the movie “Wicked” included a link to a pornographic website.
The packages for the dolls were printed with a web address to an adult film site with the same name as the upcoming movie musical starring Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo.
Customers who noticed the mistake shared images of the toy boxes on social media.
Mattel has apologized for the boxes, describing the link as a “misprint.”
“Mattel was made aware of a misprint on the packaging of the Mattel Wicked collection dolls, primarily sold in the U.S., which intended to direct consumers to the official WickedMovie.com landing page. We deeply regret this unfortunate error and are taking immediate action to remedy this,” the toy company said in a statement.
“Parents are advised that the misprinted, incorrect website is not appropriate for children. Consumers who already have the product are advised to discard the product packaging or obscure the link and may contact Mattel Customer Service for further information,” the company added.
United States Geological Survey/Handout/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
(HAWAII ISLAND, Hawaii) — The National Park Service is cautioning people to heed warnings and safety precautions while watching volcanic activity since the latest eruption of Hawaii’s Kilauea volcano, one of the most active in the world.
Kilauea began erupting on Monday, marking its third eruption of 2024 and its eighth since 2020, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. Since then, there was another distinctive eruptive episode on Wednesday, and the eruption resumed Thursday evening, the agency said.
The volcanic activity has drawn visitors to Hawaii Volcanoes National Park on the Big Island to watch the lava glow, with one “shocking scene” prompting the National Park Service to issue a safety advisory.
A toddler wandered off from his family Wednesday night into a closed area at Kilauea Overlook and “in a split second, ran straight toward the 400-foot cliff edge,” the National Park Service said in a news release on Thursday.
“His mother, screaming, managed to grab him in the nick of time just a foot or so away from a fatal fall,” the agency said. “Disaster was averted, and the shaken family departed.”
Park officials are now reminding visitors to remain on trails, stay out of closed areas and keep their children close, especially those watching Kilauea along the Crater Rim Trail.
“The hazards that coincide with an eruption are dangerous, and we have safety measures in place including closed areas, barriers, closure signs, and traffic management,” Park Superintendent Rhonda Loh said in a statement. “Your safety is our utmost concern, but we rely on everyone to recreate responsibility. National parks showcase nature’s splendor but they are not playgrounds.”
Kilauea’s eruptive activity could continue to pause and resume in the coming days or weeks, the U.S. Geological Survey said.
“The eruption could restart at any time, and toxic gas emissions are still high,” the National Park Service said.
Visitors to the park are advised to check the air quality before and during their trip.
Image from the NTSB investigation of the Jan. 5 accident involving Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 on a Boeing 737-9 MAX. Captured on Jan. 7. Via NTSB Flickr
(NEW YORK) — One year after a door plug blew off an Alaska Airlines jet, Boeing said it is “on track with progress showing tangible improvements” in its efforts turn the struggling aerospace giant around and produce safe airplanes.
Boeing shared an update on Friday morning about the company’s safety and quality plan, which it had developed shortly after the Alaska Airlines incident in January 2024.
The plan was a key part of the Federal Aviation Administration’s increased oversight, featuring dedicated efforts to address the company’s systemic safety and quality-control issues.
The FAA said that this was “not a one-year project” in its assessment of the progress that Boeing has made to date.
In its update, Boeing highlighted several key improvements it has made including: reducing defects in 737 fuselage assembly at Spirit AeroSystems by increasing inspection points and introducing a customer quality approval process; addressing more than 70% of action items in commercial airplane production based on employee feedback during quality stand-down sessions; and applying “move ready” criteria across final assembly for the 737 and 787, as well as parts of the 767 and the 777, to manage traveled work and mitigate risks.
The plane maker also reported adding hundreds of hours of new curriculum to quality and safety training programs for its employees. It has introduced new random quality audits of documented removals in high frequency areas to ensure process compliance. Additionally, the company said it has mapped and prepared thousands of governance documents and work instructions for revision.
The company added that it has invested in its Speak Up program to strengthen confidentiality and keep employees informed about the status and resolution of their reports. This comes after numerous Boeing whistleblowers have raised concerns in recent years about the company’s safety and workplace culture practices.
On Jan. 5, 2024, a defective door plug on an Alaska Airlines plane opened up mid-flight, depressurizing the cabin and exposing passengers to open air thousands of feet above the ground.
No one was seriously injured and the plane safely made an emergency landing.
Reflecting on Boeing’s progress one year later, FAA Administrator Michael Whitaker said in a blog post that the company is “working to make progress executing its comprehensive plan in the areas of safety, quality improvement, and effective employee engagement and training.”
“We’re actively monitoring the results and keeping a close eye on work at key Boeing facilities,” Whitaker said.
He outlined the company’s progress, saying: “FAA safety experts continually review the effectiveness of the changes; senior FAA leaders meet with Boeing weekly to review their performance metrics, progress, and any challenges they’re facing; we have conducted an unprecedented number of unannounced audits; and we conduct monthly status reviews with Boeing executives to monitor progress.”
“Our enhanced oversight is here to stay,” Whitaker added.
“But this is not a one-year project,” Whitaker continued, emphasizing that Boeing must prioritize safety over profits. He said the effort will “require sustained effort and commitment from Boeing, and unwavering scrutiny on our part.”
He also reiterated the agency’s support toward the National Transportation Safety Board in its investigation of last year’s Alaska Airlines incident.
