Southwest Airlines passengers terrified after Boeing 737 flight loses engine cover

Southwest Airlines was forced to make an emergency landing after the engine cover on a Boeing 737-800 ripped apart during takeoff.

Boeing planes have been the subject of much scrutiny after a series of incidents left flyers concerned about safety, from losing a tire during takeoff to an entire window panel blowing out mid-flight.

Now it appears to have happened again after a Southwest Airlines Boeing 737-800 flight from Denver was forced to make an emergency landing after an engine cover began to rip apart during takeoff.

Passengers and crew onboard the Houston-bound flight noticed a removable sheet of metal covering called an engine cowling had torn loose, footage capturing it striking against one of the plane’s wing flaps.

The flight returned to Denver International Airport, with a spokesperson for Southwest Airlines telling the New York Post that the flight “landed safely after experiencing a mechanical issue.”

“Our Customers will arrive at Houston Hobby on another aircraft, approximately three hours behind schedule,” the statement continued.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is now investigating the incident, though many flyers are already responding to this latest news by swearing off all Boeing flights.

“If it’s Boeing, I ain’t going!” one person wrote on X (formally Twitter).

However, many also pointed out that the loss of an engine cowling was likely a maintenance issue rather than Boeing being at fault; “I was an Aircraft Mechanic for 21 yrs in the USAF and the engine cowlings falling off are poor maintenance practices and have nothing to do with Boeing or the 737 build.”