A Southwest Boeing 737 lost engine cover during takeoff, FAA is investigating

An
engine
cowling
fell
off
of
a


Southwest
Airlines


Boeing
737-800
and
struck
a
wing
flap
during
takeoff
from
Denver
International
Airport,
the
Federal
Aviation
Administration
said
Sunday.

The
FAA
said
Southwest
Flight
3695
was
on
its
way
to
Houston’s
William
P.
Hobby
Airport
and
safely
returned
to
the
gate
at
Denver
at
8:15
a.m.
local
time.
Southwest
said
customers
on
the
flight
transferred
to
a
different
aircraft
and
were
scheduled
to
arrive
at
their
destination
three
hours
late.

“Our
Maintenance
teams
are
reviewing
the
aircraft,”
Southwest
said.
The
FAA
said
it
is
investigating
the
incident.
Southwest
didn’t
immediately
respond
when
asked
when
the
plane
and
engine
last
underwent
maintenance.

In
response
to
a
request
for
comment,
Boeing
pointed
to
Southwest’s
statement.

The
cowling
loss
comes
as
the
FAA

investigates
a
separate
Southwest
incident
in
March.
One
of
its
flights
strayed
off
course
and
flew
close
to the
air
traffic
control
tower
at
LaGuardia
Airport
as
it
attempted
a
landing
in
New
York.

The
plane
is
an
older
model
of
the
Boeing
737
than
the
Max
jets.
Boeing
is
under
heightened
regulatory
scrutiny
after
a
January
incident
when
a
door
plug
blew
off
a
nearly
new
737
Max
9
when
the
Alaska
Airlines
flight
was
at
16,000
feet,
causing
a
near-catastrophe.

Boeing’s
quality
control
issues
have
spiraled
into
safety
concerns,
slowing
deliveries
of
new
Max
aircraft.
Big
Boeing
customers
like
Southwest
and


United
say
the
issues
have
affected
their
growth
plans.

The
long-awaited
FAA
certification
of
its
737
Max
7
and
Max
10
models
is
also
behind
previous
schedules.
Boeing
CEO
Dave
Calhoun
last
month
said
that
he
would

step
down
by
year’s
end,
and
Boeing
replaced
its
chairman
and
chief
executive
of
its
commercial
airplane
unit.