Seems as though the Boeing 737 MAX can’t get a break. Southwest Airlines had one of its out-of-service 737s commit an emergency landing in Orlando today when the crew reported an engine problem. The ferry flight, SWA 8701, had only the cockpit crew on board and landed safely 10 minutes after departing MCO.
According to an FAA statement, “The crew of Southwest Airlines Flight 8701, a Boeing 737 MAX aircraft, declared an emergency after the aircraft experienced a reported engine problem while departing from Orlando International Airport in Florida about 2:50 p.m. today. The aircraft returned and landed safely in Orlando. No passengers were aboard the aircraft, which was being ferried to Victorville, Calif., for storage. The FAA is investigating.”
According to the FlightAware track, Flight 8701 never got above 2000 feet MSL and did not exceed 270 MPH.
That particular 737 was to join Southwest’s other MAX aircraft in Victorville, where the airline has chosen to temporarily mothball the fleet while Boeing, at the very least, works out software updates to the MCAS. Southwest, which operates 34 of the type, has the largest MAX fleet in the U.S. Victorville, in the high desert northeast of Los Angeles, has the parking space for the grounded aircraft and offers the benefit of dry desert air to reduce deterioration while they are idled.
