Here we go again — another week, another Boeing breakdown, to paraphrase myself. This time, a Boeing plane carrying 135 passengers made an emergency landing after an engine cover broke after takeoff.
The Southwest flight from Denver to Houston began its journey Sunday morning, but didn't get very far when the crew noticed the engine cover — aka the cowling — beginning to peel off and expose the engine. "Let's go ahead and declare an emergency for Southwest 3695," a crew member announced. "And we'd like an immediate return."
Good call by Southwest — as the plane was heading back, zipping along the runway, the entire engine cover, which is divided into two panels, flew off in separate pieces, with one hitting the wing flap. "There it goes," said one passenger. "Oh, they're both gone," said another. (See two different videos taken from window seats, posted by Mike Sington and Sam Sweeney.)
According to The Washington Post, workers at Denver International Airport ended up towing the Boeing 737-800 aircraft to a gate. Fortunately, nobody was injured, and passengers were put on another plane, arriving in Houston three hours late.
You can read more Boeing Boing Boing posts (phew!) here.
