The plane, carrying 135 passengers, managed to land safely in Denver at about 8:15 am (local time) after the crew reported the issue, according to the Washing Post citing the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), which has launched an investigation into the incident.
A video of the incident was posted on X showing the cover blowing open and exposing the engine.
Sharing the video on X, Sam Sweeney, member of ABC News, wrote: “Scary moments for passengers on a Southwest flight from Denver to Houston when the engine cover ripped off during flight , forcing the plane to return to Denver Sunday morning.”
“People in the exit row across from me started yelling at the flight attendants and showing them the damage. We turned around and made a full-speed landing. The pilots did a great job on the landing,” the passenger told to ABC News.
According to KHOU, a crew member reported that “several passengers and flight attendants heard something loud hit the wing.” “Let’s go ahead and declare an emergency for Southwest 3695,” the crew member said later in the recording. “And we’d like an immediate return.”
After the incident, Southwest Airlines released a statement and said that the aircraft’s maintenance teams were “reviewing the aircraft.” Passengers were flown to Houston’s William P. Hobby Airport on another plane, arriving about three hours behind schedule, the company said. No injuries were reported.
“We apologize for the inconvenience of their delay, but place our highest priority on ultimate Safety for our Customers and Employees,” the statement said. The airline declined to comment further.
This is the second incident reported in the Boeing aircraft. Earlier, in January, a door plug blew out of an Alaska Airlines plane, forcing for an emergency landing. After that incident, the FAA grounded all flights of that model, the Boeing 737 Max 9, for several weeks.