Airplane News: NTSB to Audit 737 Plant, United Pilots raise, A330 hits B777, Passengers evacuate

This week in airplane news: The NTSB will audit Boeing's production of the 737 Max series of aircraft, United pilots are getting a 14% raise, An ITA A330 hit a B777 at JFK and continued take-off and its trip to Rome, and passengers evacuate after smoke fills the cabin of an American Airlines flight.

According to ABC, the US government will announce a new audit examining Boeing’s production and oversight of the 737 Max

"The DOT Inspector-General's office [has] confirmed … that Congress requested an audit of Boeing's production oversight and that the review of the production of the 737 MAX will be a part of this audit," the NTSB email said.

This comes due to 60+ reports of mid-flight issues with 737 Max aircraft including loss of control surfaces and loss of the APU.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-06-27/boeing-737-max-in-mid-air-emergencies-as-us-set-to-launch-probe/101175214

Pilots at United will get a 14.5% raise and 8 weeks of paid maternity leave in the new deal that has been sent to pilots for ratification.

Pilots at the airline have until July 15th to vote, but it is expected that the deal will be ratified.

This will be the first major airline to settle with their pilots as the ongoing pilot shortage results in cancellations and delays.

https://www.avweb.com/aviation-news/united-pilots-offered-14-5-percent-raise

An ITA A330 hit an Air France B777 in JFK earlier this month

The B777 pilot notified ATC

“There was an Alitalia (the ITA plane was still in its old livery) passing behind us that hit our aircraft,” an Air France pilot said. “It’s so you can tell them not to take off.”

By the time controllers got ahold of the A330, they were already climbing out. The Italian pilots stated they hadn’t had any damage to their aircraft.

Upon arriving in Rome, damage to the A330 was spotted and the plane was removed from service. The B777 remains at JFK.

https://www.avweb.com/aviation-news/ita-a330-keeps-going-after-hitting-air-france-777

American Airlines passengers were evacuated after a ground emergency at Charlotte Douglas Airport.

The flight, to Melbourne Florida, was 3/4 of the way down the runway when smoke began to fill the cabin

The pilots called for an evacuation, and people evacuated the airplane

https://www.wsoctv.com/news/local/chopper-9-overhead-emergency-response-charlotte-douglas/UTV7A5H77VDNZMVIESJPP3Y73E/