Engine Cover Loss on Southwest Boeing 737 Spurs FAA Investigation

📝 SUMMARY: A Southwest Airlines ($LUV) Boeing ($BA) 737-800 faced a concerning incident when its engine cowling detached and struck a wing flap during takeoff from Denver International Airport, as reported by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) on Sunday. The aircraft, operating as Southwest Flight 3695 destined for Houston's William P. Hobby Airport, managed to return safely to Denver at 8:15 a.m. local time. Passengers were transferred to another aircraft, arriving at their destination approximately three hours behind schedule.

Southwest Airlines stated that their maintenance teams are closely examining the aircraft to determine the cause of the incident, while the FAA has initiated a formal investigation into the matter. The timing of the last maintenance check on the plane and engine was not disclosed by Southwest at the time of inquiry.

This recent mishap is part of a series of problematic incidents involving Boeing aircraft, particularly the 737 models. In another separate event earlier in March, a Southwest flight veered off course near LaGuardia Airport's air traffic control tower during an attempted landing. Furthermore, Boeing has been under intense scrutiny following a January incident where a door plug was ejected from a nearly new 737 Max 9 at 16,000 feet, narrowly avoiding a major disaster.

These continuous quality control issues have raised significant safety concerns, consequently slowing the delivery of Boeing’s new Max aircraft and impacting the growth plans of major airlines like Southwest and United. The FAA's delayed certification of the 737 Max 7 and Max 10 models has compounded these challenges, leading to substantial corporate changes at Boeing, including the announced departure of CEO Dave Calhoun by year’s end.

🔍 SOURCE: https://www.cnbc.com/2024/04/07/boeing-engine-part-fell-off-during-southwest-flight-takeoff-faa.html