Boeing plane forced to land as engine cover rips off
Passengers filmed dramatic video of the engine panel disintegrating as it came to land, ITV News' Geraint Vincent reports
A Boeing plane in the US was forced to land on Sunday morning after the engine cover came off and hit the wing flap during takeoff, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said.
The Southwest Airlines Boeing 737 jet landed safely in Denver, Colorado, and passengers were transferred onto another aircraft.
Passengers filmed dramatic video of the engine panel disintegrating as it came into land and there was audio of the pilot discussing the emergency landing with the control tower.
The original flight was headed to Houston.
Footage posted by Australian news outlet 9News shows the engine cover ripping away
The plane was deemed airworthy in May 2015, according to FAA records.
“We apologise for the inconvenience of their delay, but place our highest priority on ultimate Safety for our Customers and Employees. Our Maintenance teams are reviewing the aircraft,” Southwest Airlines said in a statement.
It’s the second mishap in one week for the airline, with a flight from Texas cancelled on Thursday after a report of an engine fire.
The Lubbock, Texas, fire department confirmed there had been a fire in one of the two engines that needed extinguishing.
The FAA is investigating both incidents.
The incident is the latest in a long line of problems with some of Boeing's most-used aircraft, including a door flying off a plane mid-flight in January
Both planes were Boeing 737-800s, an older model than the 737 Max.
The incident is just the latest in a long history of issues with Boeing aircraft.
A Boeing 747 cargo plane was forced to make an emergency landing in Miami in January after it caught fire as a result of a "softball size hole" above the second engine.
More than 130 people were killed when a Boeing 737 operated by China Eastern crashed in March 2022, while loose bolts and other technical issues led to the door of an Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 Max 9 flying off mid-flight in January.
Boeing 737 Max 9 jets were grounded "indefinitely" by the US regulator in January.
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