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Southwest Airlines flight WN3695 from Denver International Airport (DEN) to Houston’s William P. Hobby Airport (HOU) was forced to divert today after an engine cowling detached and hit the wing flap of the Boeing 737-800. This caused a diversion back to Denver shortly after takeoff.
🚨#BREAKING: A Boeing 737 Southwest Airlines had to Make a Emergency Landing after parts of the Engine Cowling Detaches
Currently, emergency crews and authorities are on the scene after a Boeing 737-800 Southwest Airlines Flight WN3695/SWA3695 departing… pic.twitter.com/eL8pP4uuY7
— R A W S A L E R T S (@rawsalerts) April 7, 2024
The flight had been in flight around 25 minutes when passengers noticed the engine cowling detach.
Southwest Airlines 737-800 makes emergency landing in Denver after its engine cowling detached on departure. pic.twitter.com/h70PPDHS42
— Breaking Aviation News & Videos (@aviationbrk) April 7, 2024
The scary ordeal was captured on video by passengers looking out the window at the engine and wing. The aircraft in question is not new and this does not appear related to any recent issues with Boeing. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is investigating and issued the following statement:
Southwest Airlines Flight 3695 returned safely to Denver International Airport around 8:15 a.m. local time on Sunday, April 7, after the pilot reported the engine cowling fell off during takeoff and struck the wing flap. The Boeing 737-800 was towed to the gate. The aircraft was headed to William P. Hobby Airport in Houston. The FAA will investigate. Please contact the airline for additional information.”
Southwest also commented:
Southwest Flight 3695 returned to Denver International Airport this morning and landed safely after experiencing a mechanical issue. We’re working now to get customers on their way to Houston on another aircraft. Our Maintenance teams are reviewing the aircraft.”
Just after takeoff pic.twitter.com/wVASG4Rr8S
— Bvrtender (@bvrtender) April 7, 2024
Anthony’s Take: The aircraft thankfully returned and landed safely at Denver International Airport (DEN). All passengers exited without injuries and the flight arrived around three hours late.
(Featured Image Credit: @bvrtender via X.)
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Advertiser & Editorial Disclosure: The Bulkhead Seat earns an affiliate commission for anyone approved through the links above This compensation may impact how and where links appear on this site. We work to provide the best publicly available offers to our readers. We frequently update them, but this site does not include all available offers. Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed, or approved by any of these entities.