A Delta Air Lines MD-88 was forced to shut down an engine yesterday flying from Atlanta to Baltimore. As a result of the engine failure incident, the aircraft diverted to Raleigh. The aircraft made a safe landing with no injuries reported.
Some Delta Air Lines passengers were in for a shock on Monday’s DL1425 flight from Atlanta to Baltimore. According to the AvHerald, the pilots of the aircraft received a possible engine issue indication, prompting their diversion. A video was shared on social media, which appears to be from the incident in question, shows that a part of the engine came off and got stuck in the engine inlet.
The flight
DL1425 is Delta Air Lines’ daily scheduled flight between Atlanta and Baltimore. The flight is scheduled to depart from Atlanta at 12:14. After just under two hours, the flight is then scheduled to arrive in Baltimore at 14:08. However, the flight time is typically 1-hour 20-minutes and 1 hour 30-minutes.
Yesterday, the flight departed Atlanta at 13:00, three-quarters of an hour late. However, while the flight got underway as normal, after around an hour of flight, the aircraft made a U-turn to the right and began to descend into the airport at Raleigh. This was due to an engine failure. Here the 148 passengers onboard the aircraft waited until a replacement aircraft arrived.
A Delta Air Lines spokesperson told Simple Flying:
“The flight crew of Delta flight 1425 from Atlanta to Baltimore elected to divert to Raleigh, N.C. out of an abundance of caution after receiving an indication of an issue with one of the aircraft’s engines. The flight landed without incident and customers were reaccommodated on an alternate aircraft. We apologize to our customers for the inconvenience this diversion may have caused.”
The MD-88
The aircraft involved in the engine failure incident yesterday was an MD-88. Registered in the US as N906DL, the aircraft itself is 32.4 years old according to AirFleets.net. In fact, the aircraft was delivered to Delta on 24th of April, 1987.
The MD-88 is equipped with two Pratt & Whitney JT8D engines. While reports don’t elaborate which engine was involved in the failure, it would appear from information spreading on social media that it was the left-hand engine.
MD-88 retirement
Airlines are currently phasing out their MD-80 fleets. Late last month, Simple Flying reported that American Airlines has scheduled their last MD-80 flights for early September.
Delta Air Lines is also in the process of retiring their MD-88s and MD-90s. By the end of 2019, Delta plans to have taken 40 of 79 MD-88s out of service. The reason is that airlines are looking to introduce newer, more fuel-efficient aircraft. Additionally, the MD-88s are beginning to show their age.
Were you onboard DL1425? What do you make of the engine failure incident? Let us know in the comments.
