Another Boeing Incident, Plane Slipped and Burned in Dakar

This week, aviation incidents involving Boeing aircraft have occurred three times.

CHEICK SIRIMAN SISSOKO VIA AP

The photo, taken from a video recording, shows passengers exiting via an emergency slide from an Air Senegal-operated Boeing 737 that caught fire and veered off the runway at Dakar Airport on Wednesday (8/5/2024).

DAKAR, THURSDAY — Incidents involving Boeing planes occurred again this week. A Boeing 737-300 aircraft operated by Air Senegal caught fire and slipped on the runway at Blaise Diagne International Airport, Dakar, Wednesday ( 8/5/2024) evening local time. Ten people were injured in the crash, including the pilot.

The Senegalese Ministry of Transport, Thursday (9/5/2024), explained that Air Senegal's flight was bound for Bamako, Mali. According to the Associated Press news agency, the plane was carrying 79 passengers, two pilots and four cabin crew.

Meanwhile, AFP, citing a statement from Blaise Diagne Airport's operator, LAS, reported that the flight carried 78 passengers and six cabin crew, including two pilots. The cause of the plane's skidding and catching fire is not yet clear.

"There was only a slide on one side that was open, causing panic during the evacuation. I saw my life flash before my eyes. I was thinking about my mother, my wife, my children," he said.

Also read: Problems Continue to Spot Boeing Planes

Ibrahim Diallo, a passenger from Mali, said the plane attempted to take off that night but failed. "The pilot told us everything was under control and they would try to take off again. The second time, smoke started coming out of one of the wings," he said.

AFP/SEYLLOU

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The Ministry of Transportation of Senegal ensures that the passengers have been evacuated from the plane. Injured victims were taken to the hospital for treatment. Meanwhile, other passengers were taken to a hotel for rest.

Air Senegal has not made any statements regarding the incident. The airline only posted a statement on social media X, that the Dakar-Bamako flight will be rescheduled for a later date, without providing any further details.

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The statement from LAS mentioned that the Boeing 737-300 was leased from the private company Transair. "The jet left the runway during takeoff around 01:00 (GMT)," the statement said.

General Director of LAS, Askan Demir, stated that the airplane at the end of the runway cannot take off. The pilot chose to move the airplane from the runway to the adjacent area. "Personally, I think he handled the situation well. The airplane did not suffer too much damage," he added.

AFP/SEYLLOU

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LAS added that the exact condition of the incident still needs to be determined. An investigation is also being carried out to find out the reason why the plane left the runway. "Flight specialists, along with airline representatives, are on site to carefully examine the airline's log data and interview the flight crew," said LAS.

The Ministry of Transport stated that the Investigation and Analysis Bureau had opened an investigation to determine the cause of the accident.

Also read: Boeing Fails to Maintain Security, Passengers Refuse to Fly

Boeing, in a statement regarding the incident, said that airlines operate and maintain their aircraft for 30 to 40 years. "We refer you to each operator for questions regarding the operation of their fleet. We will provide any support requested to our customers," said Boeing's statement.

Third

This incident in Senegal is the third incident this week involving a Boeing aircraft. On Wednesday (8/5/2024), a Boeing 767 cargo plane owned by logistics company FedEx landed at Istanbul Airport, Turkey without its front landing gear.

The Turkish Ministry of Transportation revealed that the cargo plane flew from Charles de Gaulle Airport, France. Prior to landing, the plane had informed the control tower at Istanbul Airport that its front landing gear had failed to open. The plane landed with guidance from the tower, remaining on the runway.

The ministry stated that the rescue and airport firefighting team was deployed before landing, but no one was injured. The ministry did not provide a reason for the failure of the landing gear, but guaranteed that authorities have investigated the matter.

Another incident occurred on Tuesday (5/7/2024). An Air France-operated Boeing 787-900 aircraft was forced to make an emergency landing in Canada. The plane, which departed from Paris and was supposed to go to Seattle, USA, detected a burning smell in the cabin throughout the flight, resulting in the Paris-to-Seattle route being redirected to Canada.

AFP/JASON REDMOND

A worker passes a Boeing 737-8 MAX plane parked at a Boeing factory in Renton, Washington, January 25, 2024.

The increasing number of incidents involving Boeing aircraft production has heightened pressure and scrutiny on the company. Boeing is currently under strong pressure after the Boeing 737 Max 9 aircraft door panel operated by Alaska Airlines broke away shortly after takeoff in January.

The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in February gave Boeing 90 days to create a repair plan related to quality issues and to meet safety standards in aircraft manufacturing following the accident.

Also read: Boeing is Getting Dizzy

The incident in early 2024 increased scrutiny of Boeing, especially since two Boeing 737 Max jet crashes in 2018 and 2019 killed 346 people. In April, Boeing whistleblower Sam Salehpour testified at a US Congressional hearing. He stated that the company had taken shortcuts in producing the 787 as quickly as possible which could have caused the jet to be destroyed. (AP/AFP/REUTERS)