(Adds December FAA directive to paragraphs 12-13)
By David Shepardson
WASHINGTON, April 7 (Reuters) – An engine cowling of a Southwest Airlines Boeing 737-800 fell during takeoff in Denver on Sunday and struck the wing flap, prompting the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to open a investigation.
No one was injured and Southwest Flight 3695 returned safely to Denver International Airport on Sunday around 8:15 a.m. local time (2:15 p.m. GMT) and was towed to the gate after losing the engine cover .
The Boeing plane bound for Houston Hobby Airport with 135 passengers and six crew members on board climbed to about 10,300 feet (3,140 m) before returning 25 minutes after takeoff.
The passengers arrived in Houston on another Southwest plane about four hours late. Southwest said maintenance crews were examining the plane.
The plane entered service in June 2015, according to FAA records. Boeing referred questions to Southwest.
The 737-800 is part of the previous generation of the best-selling 737, known as the 737 NG, which in turn was replaced by the 737 MAX.
Southwest declined to say when the plane’s engine was last serviced.
ABC News aired video posted on social media platform X of the torn engine hood flapping in the wind with a torn Southwest logo.
Boeing has faced heavy criticism since a door grab panel ripped off a new Alaska Airlines 737 MAX 9 jet at an altitude of 16,000 feet on January 5.
Following the incident, the FAA grounded the MAX 9 for several weeks, prohibited Boeing from increasing the MAX’s production rate, and ordered it to develop a comprehensive plan to address “systemic flight control issues.” quality” within 90 days.
Boeing’s production fell below the maximum of 38 MAX planes per month allowed by the FAA. The Department of Justice has opened a criminal investigation into the MAX 9 incident.
In December, the FAA proposed mandating engine crankcase inspections and component replacements on Boeing 737 NG planes after a fatal fan blade incident in the Southwest in 2018.
The guidelines would require operators to inspect and replace certain engine cowling components by July 2028. The National Transportation Safety Board asked Boeing in 2019 to redesign the fan cowling structure after the incident.
The FAA is investigating several other recent engine problems on Southwest’s fleet of Boeing planes.
A Southwest 737-800 flight aborted its takeoff and returned to the gate at Lubbock Airport in Texas on Thursday after the crew reported engine problems. The FAA is also investigating a March 25 Southwest 737 flight that returned to the Austin, Texas, airport after the crew reported a possible engine problem.
A March 22 Southwest 737-800 flight returned to Fort Lauderdale Airport after the crew reported an engine problem. It is also under review by the FAA.
(Reporting by David Shepardson in Washington and Urvi Dugar in Bangalore; editing by Matthew Lewis, Mark Porter and Jamie Freed)
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