DENVER — A plane on its way to Houston was forced to return to Denver International Airport shortly after takeoff.
The Federal Aviation Administration said an engine cover came off a Southwest Airlines flight. Nobody on board was hurt, and those passengers arrived in Houston on a different plane. The airline told KHOU 11 the plane experienced a "mechanical issue."
When the flight began takeoff, passengers noticed something was wrong. Many said they didn’t realize the extent of the damage until they got off the plane.
“Taking off, I just heard someone say something’s wrong with the plane,” Alisa Moses told KHOU 11.
“Some of the people closer to the wing say they saw a strike on the wing,” Frank Sanger told KHOU 11 after he arrived at Hobby Airport on Sunday afternoon.
After passengers and flight attendants could see the plane’s right engine exposed, they notified the pilots who called air traffic control.
“We’d like an immediate return. We got a piece of engine cowling hanging off apparently,” a pilot said over air traffic control.
After speaking with air traffic control, the pilot spoke over the intercom with the 135 passengers on board about what was happening.
“We were probably in the air for half an hour and the captain explained very calmly he was going to make a fast landing because he didn’t want to use his flaps,” Sanger said.
As the plane landed, passengers captured a piece of the engine cover flying away from the aircraft. In the cabin, the pilot could be heard delivering the good news.
“We’ve landed back here in Denver, I just want to thank y’all for your patience. Everything is OK,” the pilot said.
As emergency trucks arrived on the scene, everyone was able to take a breath.
“Once we landed, everyone started clapping and celebrating,” Jesse Watson told KHOU 11.
It’s still unclear why the engine cover peeled off. The FAA said in a statement it is investigating the cause. According to a statement from Southwest, the plane was towed back to the terminal in Denver. The airline’s maintenance crews are reviewing the plane.
Although the plane is a Boeing 737-800, the engine was manufactured by CFM.
Read Southwest's full statement:
"Southwest Flight 3695 returned to Denver International Airport this morning and landed safely after experiencing a mechanical issue. We’re working now to get Customers on their way to Houston on another aircraft. Our Maintenance teams are reviewing the aircraft."
The FAA in a statement said that it is investigating the incident. Read its full statement:
"Southwest Airlines Flight 3695 returned safely to Denver International Airport around 8:15 a.m. local time on Sunday, April 7, after the crew reported the engine cowling fell off during takeoff and struck the wing flap. The Boeing 737-800 was towed to the gate. The aircraft was headed to William P. Hobby Airport in Houston. The FAA will investigate. Please contact the airline for additional information."
Denver Intercontinental Airport also issued a brief statement saying in part that the airline had reported a mechanical issue shortly before 8 a.m. Read the airport's full statement:
"Just before 8 a.m., SWA 3695 reported a mechanical issue. The aircraft was towed back to gate C24."
In the Air Traffic Control audio, pilots declared an emergency landing was needed after passengers and flight attendants reported hearing something hit the plane's wing.
"We'd like an immediate return. We have a piece of the engine cowling hanging off," someone could be heard saying in the audio.