Southwest Airlines Co. confirmed the death of a passenger after an engine had problems in flight and sent fragments into the fuselage.
Southwest flight 1380 made an emergency landing at Philadephia International Airport after problems with the number one engine resulted in damage to the fuselage as a fragment or fragments hit the plane.
NBC 10 reported a fragment hit the window causing a loss of cabin pressure, leaving one person seriously injured. She later died. Seven injuries were reported.
Below is a message from Gary Kelly, the airline’s CEO.
The aircraft involved was a Boeing 737-700 that was en route from New York LaGuardia Dallas Love Field. The airline’s entire fleet is comprised of versions of the Boeing aircraft.
The flight had 144 passengers and five crew members.
Southwest stated that officials are in direct contact with the National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration “to support an immediate, coordinated response to the accident.”
The NTSB sent a go-team to Philadelphia to investigate the mishap, with the agency director accompanying the group and serving as the principal spokesman on the scene. Investigators arrived from Washington, D.C. and began checking the damage.
The U.S. had gone for years without a jet passenger fatality prior to the Southwest incident. Southwest has grown into the nation’s third or fourth largest airline, depending on whether you measure passenger totals or number of jets,
The pilot of the jet, who was praised by passengers for her actions and calm demeanor was one of the Navy’s first female fighter pilots. The entire flight crew also earned kudos from passengers and aviation experts.
