Southwest Airlines Flight Makes Dramatic Emergency Landing After Engine Explodes Mid-Flight

Ken MeyerApr 17th, 2018, 12:58 pm
 

An explosion forced a Southwest Airlines flight from New York to Dallas to make an emergency landing in Philadelphia today.

The plane apparently experienced a critical engine problem an hour after it departed from LaGuardia Airport at around 10 A.M. Pictures have emerged from the scene and multiple reports indicate that a passenger was hit by shrapnel at one point when the engine exploded.

The injured passenger was taken to the hospital, though the extent of their injuries is currently unclear. Helicopter footage from CBS shows fire crews spraying down the plane while its 149 passengers were escorted from the tarmac.

Marty Martinez, a passenger on the flight, posted a Facebook Live video that showed him wearing an oxygen mask while he was “recording his last moments.” Martinez said there was “blood everywhere” on the aircraft, and that someone else on the flight might’ve had a heart attack.

UPDATE: The Federal Aviation Administration has issued a statement on the incident.

UPDATE: The Philadelphia Fire Department gave a press conference confirming that at least one passenger is in “critical condition.”

New photos have come in from the scene, including a picture of the window that was broken when the plane’s engine exploded. Multiple reports state that a passenger was nearly sucked out of the window when the cabin violently depressurized in mid-flight, though passengers were able to bring the person back in.

Watch above, via CBS.

[Image via screengrab]

— —

>> Follow Ken Meyer (@KenMeyer91) on Twitter

Tags: