According to an FAA press release, flight 3695 of the American company, operated with a Boeing 737-800, returned to Denver International Airport “after the crew reported the fall, during takeoff, of a engine cover which hit the wing flap” of the aircraft. The plane which took off at 8:15 a.m. Sunday towards Houston was towed to the terminal upon its return, added the FAA, which will conduct an investigation.
No passengers were injured, assured the American company Southwest in a press release to CNN. “We apologize for the inconvenience caused by the delays, but we put the safety of our customers and employees at the top of our priorities,” the company was quoted as saying by the channel.
A succession of problems
According to ABC News, the carrier described the incident as a “mechanical problem” and added that the passengers had been rebooked on other flights. CNN, ABC and other US media outlets showed videos taken by passengers showing what appears to be part of the plane’s hood dangling and flapping in the wind. Boeing did not want to comment on this incident, and Southwest did not immediately respond to AFP.
The American giant Boeing, which had already struggled to recover after two crashes in 2018 and 2019, is in turmoil after a succession of quality and safety problems on its planes for more than a year.
At the beginning of January, Boeing came close to disaster when a cap door came loose from the cabin in mid-flight on an Alaska Airlines 737 MAX 9, fortunately causing only a few minor injuries. Several investigations have been launched, highlighting recurring problems of “non-compliance”. The Texas Attorney General’s Office opened an investigation last month targeting Spirit Aerosystems, a Boeing subcontractor, where “recurring problems with certain parts” were identified.