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
Passengers on a Houston-bound Southwest Airlines flight watched in horror Sunday as an engine on the Boeing 737-800 appeared to come apart mid-flight.
The flight immediately returned to Denver after crew members noticed a removable sheet of metal covering one of the plane’s engines sheared off during takeoff.
In a terrifying video posted on X by ABC’s chief transportation reporter Sam Sweeney, the metal engine cover can be seen whipping in the breeze like paper as it tore loose.
AP
In a statement, the Federal Aviation Administration said a part of the aircraft called an engine cowling had detached and struck one of the plane’s wing flaps.
Reached by email, a Southwest spokesperson told The Post the incident was the result of a “mechanical issue” on the plane, which was manufactured in 2017, FAA records show.
Southwest Flight 3695 returned to Denver International Airport this morning and landed safely after experiencing a mechanical issue. Our Customers will arrive at Houston Hobby on another aircraft, approximately three hours behind schedule,” a Southwest spokesperson told The Post.
“We apologize 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 plane took off from Denver International Airport around 7:49 a.m. local time, headed for William P. Hobby Airport in Houston.
The plane returned to Denver just 25 minutes later, touching down at 8:14 a.m. before being towed to the gate.
The FAA is currently investigating the incident.
A Boeing spokesperson directed The Post’s inquiries to Southwest.
Today’s mishap continues an unsettling string of safety issues that have dogged the aerospace giant throughout 2024, and comes less than two weeks after CEO Dave Calhoun announced he will step down from his post at the end of the year.
On Jan. 5, an Alaska Airlines Boeing 737-9 Max suffered a near-catastrophic mid-flight blowout when a fuselage panel called a door plug blew off the plane at an altitude of 16,000 feet.
The plane made an emergency landing in Portland, Oregon with a hole in the side of the passenger cabin the size of a refrigerator.
Miraculously, just one of the flight’s 177 passengers was injured.