Fortunately, there were no casualties — all passengers were transferred to another plane, which took them to their destination with a 3-hour delay.
A Boeing 737-800 owned by Southwest Airlines fell off its engine cover during takeoff from Denver International Airport on Sunday, slightly hitting a flap. The Federal Aviation Administration is currently investigating the incident, and the airline has not yet provided information on the last time the plane and its engine were serviced.
«Our maintenance teams are inspecting the aircraft,» Southwest Airlines said.
Boeing cited a statement from Southwest when the site CNBC asked for comments.
The affected Southwest Airlines plane is an older Boeing 737 Max jet model that was put into operation in June 2015.
Boeing, which together with the Dutch company Airbus dominates the commercial airplane market, has faced scrutiny over its safety record following deadly crashes involving 737 Max — in 2018 in Indonesia (189 people on board) and in 2019 in Ethiopia (157 people on board). In 2021, Boeing agreed to pay $2.5 billion as part of a settlement agreement with the Department of Justice to avoid criminal charges in the accidents.
Also last week, Southwest interrupted a 737-800 flight at Texas International Airport after the crew reported engine problems.
In January, one of the Boeing planes had an emergency exit door fall off during a flight at an altitude of 5 km. A preliminary report by the US National Transportation Safety Board stated that the incident occurred because four key bolts were missing to secure the door.
Boeing’s quality control problems have escalated into safety issues, slowing down deliveries of new Max aircraft. Major U.S. customers such as Southwest and United say the pauses have also had an impact on their development plans.
Last month, Boeing CEO Dave Calhoun said will resign by the end of the year. The company also replaced the Chairman of the Board and the Executive Director of the Commercial Aircraft Division.