VOA慢速英语--客机引擎空中爆炸 波音建议128架777客机停飞

Boeing is urging air travel companies to suspend the use of all the company's 777 passenger jets with one kind of engine model.

The move comes after an incident that took place Saturday. A Boeing 777's engine blew apart during a United Airlines flight shortly after takeoff. The airplane landed in the U.S. city of Denver with all passengers safe.

Boeing urged airlines to suspend use of all 777s with the same kind of engine. It is called the Pratt & Whitney 4000-112. Most airlines flying planes with those engines said they would temporarily suspend their use.

The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said in a statement it was calling for increased inspections¹ of 777s using the Pratt & Whitney 4000-112 engines.

Boeing said 69 aircraft with that kind of engine were in service. Another 59 planes were in storage.

The FAA said United Airlines is the only American-based airline using planes with the Pratt & Whitney 4000-112 engine. The company said on Sunday that it had voluntarily removed from service 24 active 777 planes with that engine.

Two Japanese airlines – Japan Airlines and ANA – announced they had suspended the use of all 777 aircraft with the engines. South Korea's Asiana Airlines also grounded its planes, while Korean Air said it was discussing whether to suspend use of the aircraft.

Boeing said it was working with regulators in the U.S. and other countries to examine the planes. They are to be examined by inspectors³ from engine maker⁴ Pratt & Whitney.

The weekend emergency landing of the United plane was the latest trouble for Boeing. The company's 737 Max planes were grounded, or barred from flying, for more than a year after two deadly crashes in 2019. The Max planes began returning to service late last year, but the company lost billions of dollars during the flight ban. Boeing has also suffered from major drops in air travel related to the coronavirus pandemic.

Video posted on Twitter from Saturday's emergency showed the engine on fire as the plane flew through the air. Other pictures posted on social media appeared to show a broken fan blade in the engine.

Passengers, who were on their way to Hawaii, said they feared the plane would crash after they heard an explosion and saw a bright flash of light. The explosion, which could be seen from the ground, left a cloud of black smoke in the sky.

People on the ground saw large pieces of the aircraft fall. One piece narrowly missed hitting a home, The Associated Press reported.

The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board said two of the engine's fan blades were broken and the remaining blades showed damage.

Japan's Ministry⁵ of Land, Infrastructure⁶, Transport and Tourism said an engine in the Pratt & Whitney 4000 family suffered trouble on a Japan Airlines 777 flying to Tokyo from Naha on December 4.

The airline has said the plane had engine difficulties after takeoff and returned to Naha. An inspection² showed damage to the engine's structure and missing fan blades, Japan Airlines said. Increased inspection methods were ordered as a result of the incident.

Words in This Story

regulator – n. an official who works for the part of government that controls a public activity by making and enforcing rules

fan blade – n. part of a jet engine that turns very quickly forcing air through the engine

flash – n. a sudden bright light

1 inspections   

n.检查( inspection的名词复数 )；检验；视察；检阅

参考例句：

• Regular inspections are carried out at the prison. 经常有人来视察这座监狱。
• Government inspections ensure a high degree of uniformity in the standard of service. 政府检查确保了在服务标准方面的高度一致。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 inspection   

n.检查，审查，检阅

参考例句：

• On random inspection the meat was found to be bad.经抽查，发现肉变质了。
• The soldiers lined up for their daily inspection by their officers.士兵们列队接受军官的日常检阅。

3 inspectors   

n.检查员( inspector的名词复数 )；（英国公共汽车或火车上的）查票员；（警察）巡官；检阅官

参考例句：

• They got into the school in the guise of inspectors. 他们假装成视察员进了学校。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Inspectors checked that there was adequate ventilation. 检查员已检查过，通风良好。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 maker   

n.制造者，制造商

参考例句：

• He is a trouble maker，You must be distant with him.他是个捣蛋鬼，你不要跟他在一起。
• A cabinet maker must be a master craftsman.家具木工必须是技艺高超的手艺人。

5 ministry   

n.(政府的)部；牧师

参考例句：

• They sent a deputation to the ministry to complain.他们派了一个代表团到部里投诉。
• We probed the Air Ministry statements.我们调查了空军部的记录。

6 infrastructure   

n.下部构造，下部组织，基础结构，基础设施

参考例句：

• We should step up the development of infrastructure for research.加强科学基础设施建设。
• We should strengthen cultural infrastructure and boost various types of popular culture.加强文化基础设施建设，发展各类群众文化。