Engine covering falls off Boeing plane, strikes wing flap during Southwest Airlines flight Denver takeoff

A Southwest Airlines flight made an emergency return to the Denver Airport Sunday morning after a Boeing 737's engine bowling blew off shortly after takeoff

An incident occurred during the takeoff of a Houston-bound Southwest Airlines flight from Denver International Airport on Sunday morning. A part of the engine covering fell off and struck the plane's wing flap, officials reported.

Southwest Airlines Flight 3695 safely returned to the airport at approximately 8:15 a.m. local time following the incident, and the Boeing 737-800 aircraft was towed to the gate, as confirmed by the Federal Aviation Administration. The flight was originally bound for Houston's William P. Hobby Airport.

Recordings from air traffic control captured the incident.

"We're declaring an emergency for Southwest 3695, and we request an immediate return," an air traffic control official stated on the recording. "We have a piece of the engine cowling hanging off, apparently."

The term "cowling" refers to a removable engine cover.

In a video posted online by a passenger, the pilot can be heard over the in-flight PA system saying: 'Let's go ahead and declare and emergency for Southwest 3695. And we'd like an immediate return. We've got a piece of engine cowling hanging off apparently'

A Southwest spokesperson mentioned that the passengers from the affected flight would be transferred to another aircraft for their journey to Houston, albeit arriving approximately three hours behind schedule. The flight initially carried over 130 passengers.

A Southwest maintenance team is conducting a thorough inspection of the plane, while the FAA has initiated an investigation into the incident.

According to FAA records, the plane was delivered in 2015, and its engine was manufactured by CFM.

As of June 30, 2023, Southwest Airlines operated more than 200 Boeing 737-800 planes, with an average fleet age of around 12 years.

Boeing has faced scrutiny recently following several incidents involving its aircraft. In January, a door panel blew off a Boeing 737 Max 9 jet during an Alaska Airlines flight. Subsequently, in February, the Federal Aviation Administration announced increased inspections of Boeing aircraft. A panel of experts identified safety-related concerns within Boeing, citing difficulties in understanding safety metrics and measuring methods.

Further incidents involving Boeing aircraft include passengers witnessing a wing coming apart on a Boeing 757-200 in February and a United Airlines Boeing 777 plane losing a tire shortly after takeoff in March. Additionally, a Boeing United Airlines flight from San Francisco to Paris was diverted to Denver last month due to an engine issue.