Southwest Boeing 737-700 Blows Engine at High Altitude While En Route from NY to Dallas

A Southwest Airlines Boeing 737-700 passenger jet made an emergency landing about 11:20 a.m. ET Tuesday April 17, 2018 at Philadelphia International Airport after an engine blew out, and the aircraft was diverted during its New York-to-Dallas route.

UPDATE …

1 Killed, 7 Injured: Southwest Passenger Was Extruded Through Broken Aircraft Window After Jet Engine Exploded

Possibly, uncontained engine failure debris broke a window, damaged the fuselage, and caused the cabin to depressurize when engine debris broke a window. The higher pressure air in the cabin rushed out of the open window, drawing a woman toward the opening, according to a relative of a passenger. The aircraft landed safely.

Photos posted on Twitter show the the starboard (left) engine on the Boeing 737-700 ripped open with fire extinguishing foam on the ground and inside the engine.

The National Transportation Safety Board reported on Twitter that the NTSB was aware of the incident and was gathering information.

Reports of a shattered window might indicate that the engine broke apart in what is defined as an “uncontained” engine failure, which caused shrapnel to hit the window. U.S. regulations require that jet engines are covered in tough enough casings to prevent metal from flying apart into fuel tanks and passenger areas in the event of an engine breaking apart.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) ordered a halt to arrivals and departures at the Philadelphia airport.

The NTSB conducted a probe of another Southwest engine issue in 2016.

Southwest reports Flight 1380 was bound for Dallas from New York’s LaGuardia airport with 143 customers and five crew members. The airline, early after the emergency, reported it was in the process of transporting passengers and crew to the terminal, and was gathering more information about the incident.

Flightradar 24 tracking data indicates Flight 1380 was cruising at over 30,000 feet and flying over 600 knots over Pennsylvania when the emergency occurred.