Passengers terrified after metal cover ‘rips off’ Boeing 737 engine during take-off

8 April 2024, 09:20 | Updated: 8 April 2024, 09:37

An investigation has been launched after an engine cover fell off a plane during take-off and hit a wing flap.

The metal covering the engine peeled off during the flights’s take-off in Denver - before hitting another part of the aircraft. The moment was captured in video clips that were shared to social media.

One passenger, called Lisa, told Denver7 that the cover ripping off was like a “bomb jolt”.

She said: "I was sitting in was right directly in front of that engine and we all felt a kind of a bomb jolt and I looked out the window because I love window seats and there was, we all lit up our call buttons because they didn’t feel it or see it from the pilot’s viewpoint."

The plane flew over Denver before looping back and landing at the same airport.

Passenger Cooper Glass said people in the exit row of the aircraft were “yelling to the flight attendants to show them the damage.”

“We turned around and made a full-speed landing. Pilots did a great job on the landing.”

The aircraft had 135 passengers and six crew members on board and rose to about 10,300 feet (3,140m) before abandoning its journey and landing.

The incident on the Boeing 737-800 aircraft comes amid manufacturing and safety concerns at the manufacturer.

Read more: Boeing chief executive and chairman to step down as firm faces safety crisis

Southwest Airlines said its maintenance teams would review the incident. The airline confirmed it was responsible for the maintenance of the part.

A statement from Southwest Airlines said: "We apologise for the inconvenience of their delay, but place our highest priority on ultimate safety for our customers and employees.”

In January a Boeing plane suffered a terrifying mid-air blowout in which passengers on the flight from Portland, Oregon, to California narrowly escaped serious injury.