Boeing engine cover falls off during take-off, aircraft makes emergency landing

The Houston-bound aircraft, part of the Southwestern Airlines fleet, had 135 passengers and 6 crew members on board.

The engine cover blowing off felt like a 'bomb jolt', described the passengers to the media later.

The aircraft, which had risen to about 10,3000 feet returned to Denver International Airport, where it landed safely. This happened on Sunday, April 7, according to the Federal Aviation Administration, who said that as the engine cowling detached from the aircraft, the Houston-bound plane had to make an emergency landing.

No passenger was injured in the incident. As soon as the crew noticed the flapping cover, they promptly declared an emergency for Southwest 3695 and decided to turn back.

A passenger told ABC News that the plane turned around made a full–speed landing after people in the exit row started yelling at the flight attendants and pointing to the damage. The pilots did a great job on the landing, said a passenger.

Southwestern Airlines issued an apology and said that its maintenance team will review the Boeing 737-800 for any potential hazards. Meanwhile, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has launched an investigation into the incident and found that the plane was incorporated into the airline’s fleet on June 2015.

Video goes viral

A video showing the ripped engine cover flapping in the wind as the crew lands the plane went viral. Another video shot from a window near the plane's wing shows the blue cowling falling off and twisting in the wind. A large portion of it eventually falls off just as the plane hits the runway.

Social media users slammed the airline for poor maintenance. One user said, “Boeing must halt its flights immediately! Boarding those aircraft is terrifying.”

Safety concerns

This incident comes amid alleged safety concerns over Boeing aircrafts. Earlier in the year, on January 5, a panel known as a door plug blew off a new Boeing 737 Max 9 on an Alaska Airlines flight. The aircraft was new as it was delivered to the airline just months earlier.

Boeing has been struggling to salvage its image after crashes in 2018 and 2019 that happened in a different version of the 737 Max plane. 346 people had been killed.

The 737 Max planes were subsequently grounded globally for more than 18 months. But the company's planes are once again under the radar after a spate of incidents.

According to the National Transportation Safety Board, there have been 29 other instances of malfunctions and accidents with Boeing planes in 2024 alone. For example, 50 people were injured badly on a New Zealand-bound Boeing jet that plummeted into a frightening nosedive.