Southwest Boeing 737 MAX Reports Engine Problems, Returns To Orlando Airport

The crew in a Southwest Airlines Boeing 737 MAX declared an emergency soon after takeoff in Orlando today and returned to the airport after reporting an engine problem.

CNBC and other outlets said no one was injured and that the only people on the plane were two pilots who were taking the plane to be stored in the desert in Southern California.

Canada and the U.S. grounded the plane earlier this month after a tragic accident involving a Boeing 737 MAX in Ethiopia that killed 157 people; an accident with eerie similarities to a Lion Air crash last year that also resulted in 189 fatalities.

The U.S. FAA said it is investigating the Southwest incident on Tuesday and that the issue was not related to other concerns about the 737 MAX that led the agency – and Canadian authorities - to ground the plane.

Southwest Flight 8701, the ferry flight, returned to Orlando International Airport shortly before 3 p.m. EDT after the pilots "reported a performance issue with one of the engines shortly after takeoff," Southwest said in a statement reported by CNBC. "The crew followed protocol and safely landed back at the airport."

A Southwest spokesman said the plane did not experience any issues with control, such as the controversial automated anti-stall system Boeing added to the planes before their debut in 2017.

Still, it’s not the kind of news Boeing is looking for as it works to solve the anti-stall software problem that many are blaming for the two recent accidents.