United Boeing 737 Max veers OFF the runway into the grass 'after gear collapse' at Houston airport: FAA launches new probe after litany of safety issues

A Boeing 737 MAX 8 operated by United Airlines veered off the runway after landing in Houston early Friday in the latest near-miss involving the embattled airliner. 

The aircraft, which arrived from Memphis, is said to have suffered some form of gear collapse as it exited the runway at George Bush Airport, although the 160 passengers and six crew were not injured. 

Shocking footage showed the plane lying flat on its wings on grass by the side of the runway, while passengers were hurried off from an emergency gate ladder. 

It is the latest in a string of disastrous failings involving Boeing aircraft in recent days, including a 737 engine that caught fire mid-flight on Monday and a wheel falling off shortly after takeoff in San Francisco on Thursday. 

The airliner also suffered a near-catastrophe in January as a 737 MAX 9 plane door blew out at 16,000ft over Portland, Oregon, forcing an emergency landing. 

Boeing told DailyMail.com in a statement on Friday: 'We are closely monitoring the situation and will provide any support needed to United Airlines and the investigators.' 

A Boeing 737 Max operated by United Airlines veered off the tarmac into the grass when exiting the runway at George Bush Airport in Houston early Friday

Shocking footage showed the plane laying flat on its wings off the side off a runway, after suffering an apparent gear collapse 

Passengers were seen being evacuated from the aircraft from an emergency gate ladder  

The FAA says it is launching a full investigation of the latest disaster, which is still ongoing at the time of writing as United says it will move the aircraft as soon as it is able. 

Despite the rocky end to the flight, a passenger claimed that the landing was smooth, but they felt some bumps as the plane began to taxi. 

'Felt like when you have a flat tire in a car,' the passenger told Click2Houston.  

In a statement, Houston Airports said: 'Around 8am today, a United Airlines flight landed at George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH). As it was exiting the runway, the aircraft left the pavement and entered the grass along Runway 9-27.'

'Fortunately, no one on board was injured. The Houston Fire Department and Houston Airports Operations immediately responded and safely evacuated all passengers.

'Per federal regulation, the FAA has been notified. United Airlines is working to remove the plane, which is not impacting flight operations. Flights in and out of lAH continue without interruption.' 

Boeing has seen billions dropped from its market capitalization in the wake of the repeat issues, as the FAA and NTSB launch investigations into its fleet of 737's. 

Last month, the FAA formally mandated inspections in Boeing 737 Max airplanes for loose bolts in the rudder control systems after the plane maker recommended them in December. 

Boeing's stocks have tanked in recent days in response to the issues (taken before Friday's apparent gear collapse) 

Boeing CEO Dave Calhoun (pictured) has come under scrutiny in the wake of the company's recent issues 

In January, an Alaska Airlines flight suffered a near-catastrophe as a plane door blew out at 16,000ft over Portland 

There were no serious injuries from the terrifying air failure, but passenger's belongings including phones flew out of the aircraft

On Monday, a United Airlines flight left San Francisco Airport on its way to Osaka in Japan and was barely off the runway before a wheel flew off

On Thursday, investigators determined that a 737 MAX 8 flight last month experienced 'stuck' rudder pedals during the landing roll out, although that issue did not result in any injuries. 

While that incident flew somewhat under the radar, Boeing faced severe backlash in January after the door plug blew out at 16,000ft. 

Investigators zeroed in on bolts that were intended to hold the panel in place, that seemingly failed as the door terrifyingly flew out over Portland, leaving passengers screaming inside. 

As authorities continue to investigate the fleet, the chair of the NTSB said last month that another mid-air blowout like the Alaksa Airlines jet 'can happen again.' 

'There is no way that this plane should have been delivered with four safety critical bolts missing,' NTSB chief Jennifer Homendy told CNN in February. 

'Of course, something like this can happen again.' 

On Monday, issues with the Boeing aircraft again came under scrutiny after a flight was forced to make an emergency landing in Houston when flames were seen coming out of an engine. 

On Monday, issues with the Boeing aircraft again came under scrutiny after a flight was forced to make an emergency landing in Houston when flames were seen coming out of an engine

The plane was forced to return to the same George Bush Airport where the latest issue unfolded on Friday. 

The terrifying incident took place just minutes into a United Airlines flight bound for Fort Myers, Florida, and video aken from a passenger window shows white-hot flashes streaming out of the 737's jet engine.

'Hey ladies and gentlemen, we realized something happened outside,' a crewmember can be heard warning passengers before the clip cuts out. 

No one was injured in the incident, and bubble wrap getting caught in the engine was blamed for causing the fire. 

Boeing unveiled their 737 Max in 2015, and since its Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) approval in 2017 has become one of the most widely used aircraft in the world.

A year later it had its first crash: in October 2018 a 737 Max operated by Indonesian airline Lion Air crashed shortly after take off, killing all 189 on board.

Five months later, in March 2019, a second 737 Max - this one operated by Ethiopian Airlines - crashed again shortly after take off, killing all 157 on board.

Three days later the planes were grounded by the FAA.

Wreckage of the Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 737-MAX plane is seen on March 11, 2019

The engine of a Lion Air Boeing 737 Max is inspected after it crashed off Indonesia in 2018 

It later emerged that Boeing staff, in internal messages, were cavalier about FAA regulations and critical of the Max's design.

One said it the aircraft was 'designed by clowns who in turn are supervised by monkeys.'

In its newer designs, Boeing was criticized for adding large engines to an old airframe dating back to the 1960s, instead of using a 'clean sheet design'. 

Faults were discovered in the aircraft's MCAS, or Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System: the MCAS was found in both the Lion Air and Ethiopian Air crashes to have erroneously pointed the nose down towards the ground, and the pilots were unable to override it.

In 2021, Boeing agreed to pay $2.5 billion in fines in a deferred prosecution agreement with the U.S. Justice Department to settle charges the company hid critical information about the Max from regulators and the public.

Boeing spent billions overhauling the systems and the planes returned to global skies in the fall of 2020, after being grounded for 20 months — the longest such action in aviation history.