Airplanes require proper maintenance and regular checkup to ensure that the flight is in working condition, and the safety of the passengers is not compromised.
Catastrophic engine failure on a Southwest Airlines flight from New York to Dallas killed one person and forced an emergency landing Tuesday, the first fatal incident in US commercial aviation for nearly a decade.
The Boeing 737-700 took off without incident but minutes into the flight, passengers heard an explosion in the left engine, which sent shrapnel flying through the window, shattering the glass and leading oxygen masks to drop, witnesses said.
“We believe there were parts coming out of this engine,” Robert Sumwalt, chairman of the National Transportation Safety Board, told a news conference, confirming engine failure but no fire. “There is one fatality,” Sumwalt said.
READ ALSO: Plane diverted after passenger holds flight attendant hostage
US media said seven people were slightly injured. The identity of the dead person was not immediately disclosed.
“We are saying this is an engine failure,” Sumwalt said.
Southwest Airlines said flight 1380 had been en route from New York’s LaGuardia domestic airport to Dallas Love Field with 144 passengers and five crew members onboard.
It landed at Philadelphia International Airport at 11.20am (8:50 PM in India) after the crew reported damage to one of the engines, the fuselage, and at least one window, the Federal Aviation Administration said.
“The entire Southwest Airlines family is devastated and extends its deepest, heartfelt sympathy to the customers, employees, family members, and loved ones affected by this tragic event,” the company said in a statement.
Post Your Comments