A Boeing 737-800 plane, operated by Southwest Airlines from Houston to Denver in the US, had to request an emergency landing after its engine cover came off and struck the wing flap. No one was hurt and the flight immediately returned to Denver International Airport after which it was towed to the gate.
The shocking incident happened on Sunday at local time 8:15 a.m. The flight, with 135 passengers and six crew members aboard, was soaring at an altitude of 10,300 feet (3,140 m) about 25 minutes after take-off when the engine cover fell off.
One of the pilots of the flight reportedly told Air Traffic Control that several passengers and flight attendants heard something loud hit the wing.
Videos doing rounds on social media also showed the ripped engine cover flapping in the wind with a torn Southwest logo. "It all blew away," one person can be heard saying in a video taken by a passenger. The video also showed passengers breaking out in cheers as the plane made a safe landing.
JUST IN: Audio released after Southwest Airlines Flight 3695 was forced to make an emergency landing after its engine cowling detached during takeoff.
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) April 7, 2024
The pilot can be heard calling for an emergency landing.
The Boeing 737-800s engine cowling detached and “struck the wing… pic.twitter.com/gQLg41CLY9
Cooper Glass, a passenger told ABC News that the experience was frightening. "People in the exit row across from me started yelling up to the flight attendants and showed them the damage," Glass said.
"The Boeing 737 landed safely, and the passengers headed to Houston were being put onto another aircraft," Southwest Airlines said in a statement. "We apologise for the inconvenience of their delay but place our highest priority on ultimate Safety for our Customers and Employees. Our Maintenance teams are reviewing the aircraft," the statement reads.
Though the FAA records show that the plane entered service in June 2015, Southwest Airlines refused to answer queries about when the aircraft last underwent maintenance. Boeing too referred the question to Southwest, reported Reuters.
This is the second recent incident involving Boeing. The company had recently come under criticism since a door plug panel tore off a new Alaska Airlines 737 MAX 9 jet at 16,000 feet.
Following this, the FAA grounded the MAX 9 for several weeks and banned Boeing from increasing the MAX production rate. The FAA also asked the company to develop a comprehensive plan to address "systemic quality-control issues" within 90 days. The directive had affected the Boeing production rate.
