KUALA LUMPUR – An engine cover on a Southwest Airlines Boeing 737-800 fell off on Sunday during takeoff in Denver, United States, and struck the wing flap, prompting the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to open an investigation.
It was reported that no one was injured, and Southwest Flight 3695 safely returned to Denver International Airport at around 8.15am local time on Sunday.
The aircraft was towed to the gate after experiencing the loss of its engine cowling, Reuters reported.
The Boeing aircraft bound for Houston Hobby Airport, with 135 passengers and six crew members aboard, rose to an elevation of about 10,300 feet (3,140m) before returning, 25 minutes after takeoff.
ABC News aired a video posted on social media platform X of the ripped engine cover flapping in the wind.
Shared by ABC’s reporter Sam Sweeney, the video showed the metal engine cover ripping off and flapping like sheets of paper as the aircraft was in the process of taking off.
The cover collided with the wing flap of the aircraft, resulting in a “terrifying moment” for passengers aboard, ABC News reported.
Following the incident, the FAA issued a statement explaining that an “engine cowling had detached from the aircraft and struck one of the plane’s wing flaps.”
A Southwest spokesperson attributed the mishap to a “mechanical issue” with the aircraft, which was manufactured in 2017 according to FAA records.
This is not the first mid-flight mishap experienced by the American aircraft manufacturing company, and the frequency of such incidents is raising concerns.
Boeing and the airline industry have been in the spotlight since January of this year, when an Alaska Airlines 737 MAX 9 made an emergency landing at Portland, Oregon, after a door panel detached in mid-air at 16,000 feet on January 5.
In the aftermath of that incident, the FAA grounded the Boeing 737 MAX 9 for several weeks, barring Boeing from increasing the MAX production rate, and mandated the development of a comprehensive plan to address “systemic quality-control issues” within 90 days.
It is reported that the 737-800 is in the prior generation of the best-selling 737 known as the 737 NG, which in turn was replaced by the 737 MAX. – April 8, 2024