Airplane engine explodes; one dead
PHILADELPHIA — A passenger died Tuesday after a Southwest Airlines plane was forced to make an emergency landing at Philadelphia International Airport when its engine exploded on a flight from New York to Dallas, authorities said.
The passenger was Jennifer Riordan, a woman from Albuquerque, N.M., who worked as vice president of community relations at a Wells Fargo in New Mexico. The company confirmed her passing and is expected to release a statement.
Robert Sumwalt, chairman of the National Transportation Safety Review Board, confirmed the fatality but declined to give details.
Philadelphia Fire Commissioner Adam Thiel also declined to offer details on that person’s injuries, saying only that the person had been hospitalized in critical condition after landing. Thiel said seven other people aboard were treated at the airport for minor injuries. Here’s what is known: • 143 passengers and five crew members were on board Flight 1380, according to Southwest.
• According to the jet was approaching Central Pennsylvania when it diverted to Philadelphia International Airport. The Federal Aviation Administration said the plane landed at 11:20 a.m.
• The plane is a Boeing 737-700 that went into service in 2000. It had no reported engine difficulties since 2000, according to a search of an FAA database.
• The National Transportation Safety Board said it was sending a team to investigate the incident.
Southwest, headquartered in Dallas, said in a statement Tuesday afternoon that it was “gathering more information” about the incident. No officials from the airline were present at a later briefing from city officials.
The FAA said in a statement that the flight was diverted after crew members “reported damage to one of the aircraft’s engines, as well as the fuselage and at least one window.” Thiel said that when the plane was on the ground it had a fuel leak and a small fire in an engine. The incident was placed under control at 12:32 p.m., he said.