747 crew lands to check engine only to find it gone

Published 9:00 pm Thursday, October 21, 2004

CHICAGO – Even minus a little engine that could, this Boeing 747 did.

The Kalitta Air cargo plane from Chicago landed safely at Detroit Metropolitan Airport after dropping an engine somewhere over Michigan.

The jet took off from O’Hare International Airport late Wednesday and was bound for New York’s Kennedy International Airport when it reported mechanical problems with one of its engines, a Federal Aviation Administration spokeswoman said.

The 747 was able to fly but was diverted as a safety precaution to Detroit, where it landed without incident, FAA officials said. No one was injured.

After the landing, airline personnel found that the engine, one of four Pratt and Whitney JT9D models, was completely gone, FAA officials said.

Michigan authorities searched Thursday for the missing engine, which may have fallen into Lake Michigan, the FAA said.

Kalitta Air operates 11 Boeing 747 airplanes to transport cargo worldwide.