An incident involving a Boeing 737 is currently causing quite a stir on social media. On Sunday, April 7, passengers on a Southwest flight from Denver to Houston saw the plane’s engine cover fall off during mid-takeoff.
The aircraft was forced to return to Denver. The whole ordeal was caught on video.
A recording from air traffic control revealed more details about the Boeing 737’s return to Denver International Airport.
“Let’s go ahead and declare an emergency for Southwest 3695, and we’d like an immediate return” an air traffic control official stated, per CBS News. “We’ve got a piece of the engine cowling hanging off apparently.”
CBS News points out that the cowling is a removable engine cover. A Southwest spokesperson stated the passengers arrived in Houston on a different aircraft three hours behind schedule.
More than 130 passengers were on board the Boeing 737 when the engine cover flew off.
Officials further stated the Southwest maintenance team is currently inspecting the airplane. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) will also be conducting its own investigation.
The latest incident occurred just weeks after a United Airlines Boeing 777 lost a tire shortly after takeoff from San Franciso. Another United Airlines flight from San Francisco to Paris was diverted to Denver over an engine issue.
In February, passengers on a 757-200 witnessed a wing coming apart.
FAA Grounded 171 Boeing 737 Max 9 Planes Following Alaska Airlines Incident
According to Business Insider, the FAA was forced to ground 171 Boeing 737 planes after an Alaska Airlines flight lost parts of its fuselage mid-flight.
After grounding the planes, the FAA issued a statement., “The Emergency Airworthiness Directive that will be issued shortly will require operators to inspect aircraft before further flight that do not meet the inspection cycles specified to the EAD,” the statement reads. “The required inspection will take around four to eight hours per aircraft.”
Alaska Airlines also revealed to the media outlet it was conducting its own investigation. “The aircraft landed safely back at Portland International Airport with 174 guests and 6 crew members,” the airline shared. “We are investigating what happened and will share more information as it becomes available.”
The airline further apologized for what happened and stated passengers who were impacted by the incident were able to rebook their flights and place the value of their ticket on their mileage plan for future use. They could also request a refund.