A Southwest Airlines flight headed from Denver, CO, to Houston, TX, had to make an emergency landing on Sunday after the cover ripped off one of the plane’s engines, striking the wing flap.
Pilots on the Boeing 737-800 informed air traffic control at the Denver International Airport that “several passengers and flight attendants heard something loud hit the wing,” after which the plane was cleared to make a safe emergency landing.
Video of the moment the engine cover ripped away made the rounds on X on Sunday.
ABC News transportation reporter Sam Sweeney shared one clip, commenting, “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.”
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
In another clip, shared by Mike Sington, a pilot could be heard talking to air traffic control about the loose engine cowling, and passengers could be heard saying, “There it goes,” and, “There goes the rest of it,” as the cover broke loose and flew out of sight.
Southwest Airlines addressed the incident in a statement to CNN, saying, “We apologize for the inconvenience of their delay but place our highest priority on ultimate Safety for our Customers and Employees.”
The passengers on the affected flight were transported to Houston on a different plane, and were delayed by several hours.
According to the Federal Aviation Administration, an investigation into the incident is pending. No injuries were reported.
Sunday’s mishap is just the latest in a string of issues plaguing Boeing, including one incident involving an external panel falling off as a United Airlines flight was in midair en route from San Francisco to Oregon. The flight crew in that case was not aware the panel had torn free until after they landed.