Video of the incident shows a torn engine cover flapping in the wind.
New Delhi:
Boeing is in trouble again after the engine cover of a Boeing 737-800 aircraft came off during takeoff and hit the wing. The plane, part of the Southwest Airlines fleet, was originally bound for Houston with 135 passengers and six crew members on board.
The flight climbed to an altitude of approximately 10,3000 feet (3,140 meters) before being forced to return to Denver International Airport and land safely. After landing, he was towed to the departure gate. No one was injured in the incident.
Video of the incident shows a torn engine cover flapping in the wind as the crew landed the plane.
Passengers on a Southwest Airlines flight from Denver to Houston experienced a terrifying moment when an engine cover came off mid-flight, forcing the plane to return to Denver on Sunday morning. pic.twitter.com/BBpCBXpTsl
— Sam Sweeney (@SweeneyABC) April 7, 2024
Another video taken from a window near the plane’s wing showed a blue cowling peeling off the engine and twisting in the wind. A large part of it will eventually break off when the plane hits the runway.
Southwest Airlines flight 3695 pic.twitter.com/M5fsyAQ2fZ
— Bvrtender (@bvrtender) April 7, 2024
US media interviewed passengers who said the hood explosion felt like a “bomb shock”. “The people in the exit row across from me started yelling at the flight attendants and showing them the damage. We turned around and landed at full speed. The pilot did a great job on the landing,” one passenger told ABC News.
According to radio transmissions from air traffic controllers, the crew declared an emergency as soon as they noticed the lids were flapping.
“Let’s go ahead and declare an emergency on Southwest 3695 and we want to return immediately. We have a piece of the hood hanging out,” one crew member said.
The incident comes as Boeing grapples with manufacturing and safety concerns, starting with an emergency on an Alaska Airlines flight on Jan. 5 on a new Boeing 737 Max 9 aircraft delivered to the airline months ago. A door jam panel was blown off.
Southwest Airlines issued an apology and assured that its maintenance team would inspect the Boeing 737-800 for any potential hazards.
The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has launched an investigation into the incident. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) found that the aircraft had been put into service in June 2015. However, the airline declined to reveal details of when the aircraft’s engines were last serviced.
Boeing has spent years trying to repair its reputation after crashes involving different versions of its 737 Max aircraft in 2018 and 2019 that killed 346 people. Its popular 737 Max aircraft were subsequently grounded worldwide for more than 18 months. But recent crashes have once again put the company’s aircraft in the spotlight.
The Alaska Airlines blowout is just the beginning of a ton of bad press for Boeing this year. The National Transportation Safety Board reported that there were 29 malfunctions and accidents involving Boeing aircraft in 2024 alone.
Last month, a United Airlines Boeing plane was evacuated after it overran a runway in Houston, and a New Zealand-bound Boeing plane plummeted, leaving 50 people bleeding and injured.
Even President Biden couldn’t help but take a swipe at the embattled company, quipping at a campaign event last week, “I’m not going to sit on the doorstep of Air Force One.”
