An unexpected engine malfunction on a Southwest Airlines Boeing 737’s takeoff led to a mid-air scare for passengers. The incident has brought the safety standards of Boeing back into question.
On a seemingly routine Sunday morning, passengers aboard a Southwest Airlines flight bound for Houston were met with a terrifying sight. Midway through the takeoff, the engine of the Boeing 737-800 they were traveling in began to disintegrate.
The flight crew noticed that a metal sheet, a removable cover of one of the plane’s engines, had sheared off during the takeoff. The horrifying scene was captured by ABC’s chief transportation reporter Sam Sweeney, with the metal engine cover seen flapping in the wind like a loose sheet of paper.
Upon detecting the anomaly, the flight crew made an immediate decision to return to Denver. Landing safely back at Denver International Airport, the plane was seen being towed to the gate.
Southwest Airlines issued a statement acknowledging the incident as a mechanical issue. They apologized for the inconvenience caused to their customers, reaffirming their commitment to safety as their top priority. The affected passengers were promised a safe arrival at their destination aboard a different aircraft, albeit with a delay of about three hours.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) confirmed that a part of the aircraft, known as the engine cowling, had detached and hit one of the plane’s wing flaps. The FAA is currently investigating the incident.
This mishap is the latest in a series of safety-related concerns that have plagued Boeing in 2024. The company’s CEO, Dave Calhoun, had announced his decision to step down by the end of the year, just a fortnight before this incident.
Earlier in the year, an Alaska Airlines Boeing 737-9 Max had a near-catastrophic incident. During mid-flight, a fuselage panel known as a door plug blew off the plane at an altitude of 16,000 feet, creating a refrigerator-sized hole in the side of the passenger cabin. Miraculously, only one passenger was hurt.
The Justice Department launched a criminal probe into the Alaska Airlines incident. Both Boeing and Alaska Airlines have been slapped with a $1 billion lawsuit over concerns about plane safety.
Last month, a Boeing jet operated by United Airlines veered off the runway in Houston, leading to an evacuation. Another Boeing jet, en route to New Zealand, went into a frightening nosedive, resulting in injuries to 50 people. These incidents have added to the reputation crisis that Boeing is currently facing.
Even President Biden couldn’t resist making a light-hearted comment about the company’s troubles. At a campaign event, he joked about not sitting next to the door on Air Force One, which has been a Boeing 747-200B since 1990.
Adding to the company’s woes is the mysterious death of longtime employee and whistleblower, John Barnett. Barnett, who worked as a quality control engineer for over three decades, had accused Boeing of prioritizing profits over safety. His unexpected death has raised eyebrows among his former colleagues.
