Southwest Airlines Co will speed up inspections of all related engines out of extra caution, the airline said, after a passenger was killed when an engine on one of its planes exploded and broke apart mid-air.
Southwest Flight 1380, which took off from New York bound for Dallas with 144 passengers and five crew members aboard, made an emergency landing in Philadelphia on Tuesday after an engine on the Boeing 737-700 ripped apart, killing bank executive Jennifer Riordan, 43, Reuters reported.
Southwest said it was accelerating its existing engine inspection program and conducting ultrasonic inspections of fan blades of the CFM56 engines on all of its 737 jets.
The airline said it expects to complete the inspections within 30 days. Minimal flight disruptions may result, it said.
Flight 1380 took off from New York’s LaGuardia Airport at around 10:27 a.m. and was diverted to Philadelphia about 20 minutes later.
The engine on the plane’s left side threw off shrapnel when it blew apart, shattering a window and causing rapid cabin depressurization that nearly pulled a female passenger through the hole, according to witness accounts.
One passenger was taken to a hospital in critical condition and seven people were treated for minor injuries at the scene.
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