Boeing 737 forced into emergency landing
A BOEING 737 had to make an emergency landing after an engine cowling fell off and struck a wing flap during take-off yesterday.
The plane, operated by Southwest Airlines, was forced to return to Denver International Airport with 135 passengers and six crew on board when the part sheared off. Horrified passengers saw the cowling, which covers the engine, flapping in the wind.
The incident on the nine-year-old Boeing 737-800 was the latest safety scare to hit the aircraft manufacturer.
An investigation has been ordered by the US Federal Aviation Authority.
Writing on X, formerly Twitter, a pilot, using the handle Kc-driver, said the cowling could have detached because the latches used to hold in place may not have been fastened properly. “The cowls are unlikely to do any damage that threatens to bring the airplane down; they might peel off & hit the tail, but that’s a rather remote possibility & it’s still unlikely it would do life-threatening damage.”
Last month, a Southwest 737 flight was aborted after the crew reported engine issues. Two other 737s also reported engine issues.
In January, a door plug came off an Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 Max 9 at 1,600 feet leaving a gaping hole on the side of the plane. It led to nearly 200 Boeing 737 Max9s being grounded.
There were other incidents. A week later, a crack appeared in the cockpit window of a 737 in Japan.
And in March 2019, the 737 Max was grounded for 20 months after two crashes claimed 346 lives.
In the latest incident, in which nobody was hurt, the aircraft returned to Denver. The pilot told air traffic control the crew had been alerted by passengers who said they had heard something hit the wing.
Boeing referred comments to Southwest airlines.
A Southwest spokesman said: “Southwest Flight 3695 returned to Denver and landed safely after experiencing a mechanical issue. Our maintenance teams are reviewing the aircraft.”