[Video] Passengers Leaving Denver Watch Boeing’s Engine Panel Tear Away After Takeoff
The Boeing commercial airplane faults continue. This time, X user @bvrtender posted a video and photos of Southwest Airlines flight 3695 taking off from and directly returning to Denver International on Sunday, April 7.
The Boeing 737 had its right engine exterior paneling come loose and “sardine-can” down the engine’s body. A large sheet of paneling is shown flipped up and flapping against the wing.
During landing, the panel is torn to pieces and flits away from the plane entirely. A post-landing photo shows the right engine components exposed. You can watch the video and see the photos below.
The Federal Aviation Administration released a statement on the event yesterday:
“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.”
As we await conclusive statements from the FAA investigation, Boeing continues its stint in the hot seat. There have been several commercial planes suffering in-flight faults, leaving crew and passengers shaken. We already reported on the unbolted door plug that got sucked away from a Boeing fuselage in January. The door plug had been installed by Boeing staff, and the plane was passed along to American Airlines. Boeing photos showed the door plugged wasn’t even bolted in before being covered by insulation and interior paneling.
