United 777 plane flew fewer than half the flights allowed between checks - sources

A United plane with a Pratt & Whitney engine that failed on Saturday had flown fewer than half the flights allowed by US regulators between fan blade inspections, two sources with knowledge of the matter said. The Boeing 777 plane had flown nearly 3,000 cycles, equivalent to one take-off and landing, which compares to the checks every 6,500 cycles mandated after a separate United engine incident in 2018, said the sources. They sought anonymity as they were not authorized to speak publicly. United declined to comment. Pratt, the maker of the PW4000 engines, advised airlines on Monday to step up checks to every 1,000 cycles, in a bulletin seen by Reuters. It did not immediately respond to a request for comment.<br/>