Southwest Airlines: Southwest 737 Max Builds Emergency Landing in Orlando

The Federal Aviation Administration says a Southwest Airlines Boeing 737 Max jet made a protected emergency landing Tuesday in Orlando, Florida, after experiencing an apparent engine problem.

Southwest Airlines Boeing 737 Max made a safe emergency landing Tuesday in Orlando, Florida, after experiencing an engine problem, the Federal Aviation Administration said.

The team proclaimed a emergency subsequent to taking off from Orlando International Airport around 2:50 p.m., and came back to the airport airport safely. No travelers on board, and the aircraft was being carried to Victorville, California, where Southwest is putting the airplanes.

The 737 Max was grounded in the U.S. March 13 after a deadly crash including a Max in Ethiopia on March 10. It was the second fatal crash including the airplane. U.S. airlines are permitted to carry the planes however can't convey travelers.

The FAA says it's investigating but the emergency was not related to anti-stall software that is suspected as a cause of the two fatal crashes including one last year involving a plane from Indonesia.

Airport spokeswoman Carolyn Fennell says one of the airport's three runways was closed down for cleaning after the landing. She says its standard procedure to check a runway for debris after an emergency landing. It wasn't clear if any parts actually fell off the plane.

Fennell says the airport's other two runways remained open, and normal operations weren't affected.

Southwest said the plane's pilots reported a "performance issue" with an engine shortly after taking off for the California airport, where it was flying to be in short-term storage. The Max 8 jet was to be moved to Southwest's Orlando maintenance facility to be checked, a company statement said.