 "Southwest Airlines plane prepares to land at Midway International Airport. Source: AP / Representative")
US airline regulators launched an investigation after part of an engine cowling on a Boeing aircraft fell off during takeoff and struck the wing flap.
The plane in question was Southwest Airlines flight 3695 which rose to about 10,300 ft (3,140 meters) when the incident took place. However, the aircraft landed 25 minutes after the takeoff from the Denver International Airport at about 8:15 am (local time) on Sunday, Reuters reported.
In the videos that are circulating on social media, the engine cowling can be seen flapping in the wind before it detached completely and banged against the aircraft’s wing.
After the plane made the landing, it was towed to the gate. As per the reports, the plane was carrying 135 passengers and six crew members aboard and was heading to Huston. The authorities assured that no casualties were reported.
The Boeing curse continues
According to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) records, the plane entered the service in June 2015. Shortly after the landing, the airline said that maintenance teams were reviewing the aircraft.
Boeing has also referred questions to Southwest for information about the airline’s airplane and fleet operations. As of now, the airline has not revealed when the plane’s engine last had maintenance.
It is pertinent to note that Boeing has come under intense criticism since a door plug panel tore off a new Alaska Airlines 737 Max 9 jet at 16,000ft (4,800 metres) on 5 January.
Following the incident, the FAA grounded the Max 9 for several weeks and barred Boeing from increasing the Max production. The authorities also ordered Boeing to develop a comprehensive plan to address “systemic quality-control issues” within 90 days.
The FAA is investigating several other recent Southwest Boeing engine issues.
Earlier this week, a Southwest 737 flight aborted takeoff and taxied back to the gate at an airport in Texas. The crew eventually reported an engine problem.
On 25 March, a Southwest 737 flight returned to the Austin airport after the crew reported a possible engine issue. Another Southwest 737-800 flight returned to Fort Lauderdale airport in Florida on March 22 after the crew reported an engine issue. FAA is currently investigating all these incidents as well.