Seattle-based aircraft manufacturer Boeing faced a turbulent week as a series of failures involving their passenger jets attracted national attention and scrutiny. Over the course of the week, there were three incidents during take-offs or landings, further denting Boeing's public image. However, experts suggest that the company may not be entirely responsible for these in-flight scares.

One of the incidents occurred on Friday morning when a United Airlines flight experienced a runway excursion during landing in Houston, Texas. The Boeing 737 MAX 8 appeared tilted to one side, with its wing dangerously close to the ground. Aviation industry consultant Scott Hamilton from Leeham Company noted that this incident was likely caused by human error, runway conditions, or a taxiway condition error, rather than a fault with the airplane itself.

Another incident involved a tire falling off a Boeing 777-200 during take-off from San Francisco, with the aircraft managing to make an emergency landing in Los Angeles. This came after a separate incident last month when a tire came off the nose gear. Hamilton emphasized that these instances were maintenance issues related to the airlines, not Boeing.

In a separate occurrence earlier in the week, a United flight traveling from Houston to Fort Myers, Florida, had to make an emergency landing due to an engine flare-up. One of the plane's engines caught fire several minutes after take-off. Hamilton stressed that these incidents are unrelated to the known issues with Boeing's 737 Max.

While these recent incidents are not directly linked to known Boeing issues, they come at a challenging time for the aircraft manufacturer, struggling to restore its safety image following the deadly 737 MAX crashes in 2018 and 2019 that claimed the lives of 346 people. Hamilton acknowledged that this series of incidents negatively affects Boeing's perception, as headlines continue to associate the company's name with these incidents, whether fair or not.

The bigger concern for Boeing remains ongoing worries about quality control. Earlier this year, a panel blew out during Alaska Airlines Flight 1282, amplifying concerns about the company's ability to rectify past mistakes. Despite Boeing CEO Dave Calhoun promising to address these issues, industry expert Hamilton has emphasized that the recent incident involving Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 proves that the company's problems have not been adequately resolved.

Boeing continues to face challenges in maintaining a positive safety record for its aircraft fleet. As investigations into these recent incidents unfold, the company must strive to regain public trust and address ongoing concerns about quality control.