- United Flight 2434 landed at Tampa International Airport at 4:35 p.m. on Wednesday after taking off from Sarasota-Bradenton International at 3:42 p.m.
- She had to divert to Tampa because a door indicator light was on, according to an airport spokesman
- The plane, an Airbus A319, is not the same type as the Alaska Airlines flight that made an emergency landing on Friday after its door exploded at 16,000 feet.
A United Airlines plane was forced to make an emergency landing after the open door light began flashing shortly after takeoff.
United Flight 2434 landed at Tampa International Airport at 4:35 p.m. on Wednesday after taking off from Sarasota-Bradenton International at 3:42 p.m.
The plane had to divert to Tampa because a door indicator light was on, according to an airport spokesperson. Firefighters responded and more than 120 passengers were evacuated from the plane.
The plane, an Airbus A319, is not the same type as the Alaska Airlines flight that made an emergency landing on Friday after the emergency door exploded at 16,000 feet.
However, United Airlines was one of two US airlines that were flying the Boeing 737 MAX 9 before it was grounded by the FAA.
The plane that made the emergency landing was manufactured in 2007, according to Federal Aviation Administration records.
The plane was headed to Chicago before it was forced to make an emergency landing in Tampa.
The plane remained in Tampa until shortly after 6 p.m., when it took off again, heading to Chicago. It landed around eight in the evening local time before continuing its journey to San Francisco.
The accident comes less than a week after an Alaska Airlines flight suffered a near-catastrophic malfunction at 16,000 feet in the air.
Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 was forced to make an emergency landing shortly after leaving Portland International Airport bound for Ontario, California, on Friday when its door plug fell off.
The National Transportation Safety Board recovered the door in the backyard of a home in suburban Portland, Oregon, on Sunday.
Both Alaska Airlines and United Airlines revealed that loose bolts were found inside several other door seals on their Boeing 737 MAX 9 planes.
The Federal Aviation Administration ordered the grounding of 171 Boeing 737 MAX 9 aircraft on Saturday.
It issued another update on Tuesday to say they will remain grounded until it finds each can safely return to work.
Terrified passengers remained fearful for their lives on Friday after the door stopper fell. After recovering the damaged Alaska Airlines door, the NTSB said on
Boeing shares saw their biggest drop in more than a year on Monday, losing $13.5 billion in value on the first day of trading after Alaska Airlines exploded in midair.
“We are committed to ensuring that every Boeing aircraft meets design specifications and the highest standards of safety and quality,” a Boeing spokesperson said.
The near-disaster caused Boeing Corp. shares to drop 8.6 percent — from 248 to 228 — between Friday evening and Monday morning. The stock continued to decline after the market opened, reaching 226 – and analysts warned that it is expected to continue falling until the planes return to service.
Shares of Alaska Air fell 4.3 percent, while shares of United Airlines, the other US airline operating the plane, fell 2.4 percent, in the wake of the accident.