SEATTLE — Following another scary moment aboard a Boeing aircraft, when a 747 cargo plane landed safely after flames were seen shooting from an engine in the sky over Miami, consumer trust is falling for the company.
The latest emergency landing comes as the company is undergoing an unrelated FAA investigation while trying to retain consumer confidence.
The Boeing 747 cargo flight, bound for Puerto Rico was forced to turn around just minutes after takeoff – flames appear to be shooting from an engine – the five-person crew was uninjured.
Boeing does not make engines, but told NBC News it will support customers as the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigates.
Seattle University Marketing Professor Joe Barns said the Everett-based company finds itself in crisis management mode – a company already under NTSB investigation after a door plug blew off a Boeing 737 MAX 9 mid-flight earlier in the month on its way from Oregon to California.
“I think it is important for us to remember, this is one of the most important companies in this country with its commercial and military business,” Barnes said.
“I think it’s critical that Boeing really take a step forward and say ‘We want to overcompensate in finding out what happened.' Boeing should take the lead, side by side, certainly with the NTSB and with Alaska Airlines,” he continued.
While Boeing promises transparency, the damage, at least temporarily, has been done. According to research firm Morning Consult, consumer net trust in the company has dropped 12 percentage points since the beginning of January.
Meanwhile, multiple passengers have filed lawsuits against both Boeing and Alaska Airlines after the Jan. 5 incident, alleging the aircraft manufacturer put them in a life-threatening situation.
The Federal Aviation Administration has inspected 40 of the grounded MAX 9 jets. Alaska Airlines and United Airlines are the only two U.S. airlines with the jets and neither have announced a timeline for when the aircraft will return to service.