Southwest Boeing 737 loses engine cover during take-off in Denver

A Southwest Airlines Boeing 737-800 lost a part of its engine cover while taking off from Denver International Airport in Colorado on Sunday, according to officials and passengers. No one was injured.

The incident happened on Sunday morning when Southwest Airlines Flight 3695 was taking off from Denver for a scheduled flight to Houston. Footage shared by passengers showed parts of the engine cover coming off.

“Let’s go ahead and declare an emergency for Southwest 3695 and we’d like an immediate return,” the pilot told air traffic control. “We’ve got a piece of the engine cowling hanging off, apparently.”

The plane, a Boeing 737-800, returned to Denver and landed safely at around 8:15 a.m.

“Our Customers will arrive at Houston Hobby on another aircraft, approximately three hours behind schedule,” an airline spokesperson said in a statement. “We apologize for the inconvenience of their delay, but place our highest priority on ultimate Safety for our Customers and Employees. Our Maintenance teams are reviewing the aircraft.”

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said it launched an investigation.

Videos

JUST IN: Audio released after Southwest Airlines Flight 3695 was forced to make an emergency landing after its engine cowling detached during takeoff.

The pilot can be heard calling for an emergency landing.

The Boeing 737-800s engine cowling detached and “struck the wing… pic.twitter.com/gQLg41CLY9

— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) April 7, 2024

Southwest Airlines Flight 3695 pic.twitter.com/M5fsyAQ2fZ

— Bvrtender (@bvrtender) April 7, 2024

Scary moments for passengers on a Southwest flight from Denver to Houston when the engine cover ripped off during flight , forcing the plane to return to Denver Sunday morning. pic.twitter.com/BBpCBXpTsl

— Sam Sweeney (@SweeneyABC) April 7, 2024