Japan grounds aircraft after Denver plane engine fire

By Riyaz ul Khaliq

ANKARA (AA) - Japan grounded at least 32 aircraft on Monday after a passenger plane with the same built-in engine caught fire last weekend in the US.

The country's Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism Ministry asked flag carrier Japan Airlines and All Nippon Airways to stop flying the aircraft using Pratt and Whitney PW4000 engines, Kyodo News reported on Monday.

Last Saturday, a Boeing 777-200 caught fire after a brief takeoff from Denver airport in the western US state of Colorado. The plane was on its way to Honolulu, the capital of Hawaii.

It made a safe landing with none hurt among its passengers.

Shortly after the news, Japanese Airlines removed 13 such planes from service, along with All Nippon Airways, which operates 19.

The decision to ground the planes briefly affected air transport, with several flights delayed in Japan.

It was on Dec. 4 that an engine on a Japan Airlines plane also suffered some trouble which forced it to make an emergency landing. An investigation found the incident occurred due to fan blade damage.

Following the incident, Boeing announced in a statement that it had launched a probe and suspended operations of 69 in-service and 59 in-storage 777s powered by Pratt & Whitney 4000-112 engines.

Boeing said it supported the decision taken by the Japan Civil Aviation Bureau to suspend operations of aircraft powered by the engines.

"We are working with regulators as they take actions while these planes are on the ground and further inspections are conducted by Pratt & Whitney," the company said.