A Southwest Airlines Boeing 737-800 had several parts of its engine cover come off shortly after takeoff in Denver.
Flight SWA3695 from Denver to Houston was forced to declare an emergency and return to the originating airport after passengers and flight attendants heard a loud bang during initial boarding.
The pilots were warned, and although there were no unusual indicators on the flight deck, they decided to turn back and land without the flaps, as they believed there was a problem with this wing surface that generates extra lift.
Several passengers recorded photos of how the right wing engine was missing its fairing, resulting in several parts becoming separated in flight:
Southwest Airlines Boeing 737-800, operational flight #SWA3695He left and returned to Denver this morning and declared a state of emergency. The pilots reported to Air Traffic Control that a piece of the engine cowling had come off and was hanging through @thenewea51 ✈️
Display data in 👇… pic.twitter.com/7dEOEaUwHD
— Radar Box (@RadarBoxCom) April 7, 2024
In the video above, you can see that another portion of the fairing came off when the pilots activated the engine's reverse gear. Despite the panic, no one was hurt, but this case is very similar to another case from the same airline and with a practically identical plane: 737-700.
A 2018 case was a bit more serious, as parts of the structure collided with the fuselage, causing a passenger to rupture and be sucked out, who subsequently died:
The following year, 2019, guidance was issued to correct the potential issue across the entire Boeing 737NG series, which includes today's 737-800. Another plane of the same model, also from Southwest, had problems yesterday due to a fire in its engine.
