Boeing plane engine cover falls off
Airline regulators have begun an investigation after an engine cowling on a Boeing 737-800 fell off during take-off and struck a wing flap.
The Southwest Airlines flight returned safely to Denver
International airport at about 08:15 local time (15:15 GMT) after originally
departing to Houston.
The incident comes amid manufacturing and safety
concerns at Boeing.
Southwest Airlines said its maintenance teams would
review the Boeing 737-800 after its cowling, which covers the plane's engine,
fell off. The airline confirmed it was responsible for maintenance of such
parts.
"We apologise for the inconvenience of their delay,
but place our highest priority on ultimate safety for our customers and
employees," a statement said.
The plane was manufactured in 2015 according to
regulator Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) records, and the 737-800 is an
earlier generation of the 737 from the latest Max model.
The aircraft in the latest incident was
powered by CFM56 engines while the 737 Max models use the CFM-Leap engine. Both
are made by a joint venture between General Electric Aerospace and Safran
Aircraft Engines
Southwest said it would fly passengers on another plane
to Houston about three hours behind schedule.
Boeing has been under scrutiny following a dramatic mid-air
blowout in January, in which passengers on the flight from Portland, Oregon, to
California narrowly escaped serious injury.
On Friday, it was announced Boeing paid $160m (£126m) to Alaska Air to make
up for losses the airline suffered following the emergency.
Regulators temporarily grounded nearly 200 Boeing 737
Max 9 jets after a door plug fell from the Alaska aircraft shortly after
take-off.
Boeing has been trying to repair its reputation
for years after crashes in 2018 and 2019 involving a different version of the
737 Max plane killed 346 people.
Its popular 737 Max planes were subsequently grounded
globally for more than 18 months.
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