Just when it seemed like the company's woes couldn't get any worse, the engine of a Southwest Airlines Boeing 737-800 aircraft was ripped to pieces in mid-air.
Passengers on the Denver-to-Houston flight recorded frightening video of the incident, which occurred just after takeoff on Sunday morning. The Southwest flight departed from Denver International Airport at 7:49 a.m. before quickly returning and touching down again at 8:14 a.m., The New York Post reports.
Sam Sweeney, chief transportation reporter for ABC, posted one of the clips to his social media account. The terrifying video shows two metal panels on one of the plane’s engines flapping in the breeze and disintegrating piece by piece.
Scary moments for passengers on a Southwest flight from Denver to Houston when the engine cover ripped off during flight , forcing the plane to return to Denver Sunday morning. pic.twitter.com/BBpCBXpTsl
— Sam Sweeney (@SweeneyABC) April 7, 2024
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) later said that the engine’s problem began when a separate part of the plane, known as an engine cowling, came loose and hit one of the wing flaps. Southwest chalked the episode up to a “mechanical issue.”
“Southwest Flight 3695 returned to Denver International Airport this morning and landed safely after experiencing a mechanical issue,” the airline told The Post in a statement. “Our customers will arrive at Houston Hobby on another aircraft, approximately three hours behind schedule.”
"We apologize for the inconvenience of their delay, but place our highest priority on ultimate safety for our customers and employees," the statement added. "Our maintenance teams are reviewing the aircraft.”
The FAA is currently investigating the incident, which is the latest in a string of nightmarish incidents aboard Boeing aircraft.
In January, a Boeing 737-9 Max operated by Alaska Airlines suffered a terrifying mid-air blowout, with one of its doors being ripped from the plane at 16,000 feet. The Justice Department has launched a criminal probe into that incident. Subsequently, further Boeing quality issues were exposed, which led to the company’s CEO stepping down last month.
from Men's Journal https://ift.tt/z2eEVDT
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