A United Airlines plane ran off the runway in Houston, Texas, on Friday, the latest incident in a week of safety issues for the airline, all involving Boeing planes, that included a tire falling off, a flaming engine and allegedly “stuck” controls.
The Boeing 737 Max 8, carrying 160 passengers and six crew, was landing at George Bush intercontinental airport on Friday morning when it “left the pavement and entered the grass” while exiting the runway for the gate, airport officials said in an interview.
In a separate statement, United Airlines said: “After landing, UA2477 exited the taxiway into a grassy area. Customers deplaned using air stairs and are being bused to the terminal.” It added that all passengers were safe.
On Thursday, a tire fell off a United Airlines plane seconds after it had taken off from San Francisco international airport. The tire, one of six on the left side main landing gear assembly, dropped into a staff parking lot, where it hit a car, broke the rear window, then tore through a fence and rolled to a halt.