Plane forced into emergency landing after engine rips apart midair

US: A Southwest Airlines plane Flight 3472 from New Orleans bound for Orlando, Florida, with 99 passengers and five crew members on board was forced to make an emergency landing after part of it's engine appeared to be ripped off on Saturday.

According to a statement from the US airline, Flight 3472 was diverted to Pensacola, Florida, after the pilot detected a major problem with one of the jet’s two engines.

Southwest Airlines reported that the Boeing 737-700 landed in Pensacola with no apparent injuries to the passengers and members.

Southwest denied that part of the engine had blown apart, according to comments and photos posted online which had suggested so.

One Twitter user Lexy shared some photos taken by her father’s boss Charlie, saying he was “pretty shaken up.”

One passenger of the plane Stephanie shared some photos of pasengers inside the plane wearing oxygen masks and a photo of the jet with “chunks missing from back wing and on top fin.”

Stephanie described the incident as a “horrible experience” and like something out of a movie, and that it had been her first time flying.

“I texted my children because it wasn’t looking good,” she added.

 A passenger told The Wall Street Journal; “There was the loud explosion but after that it was very controlled. Scary, but in control. Everyone cheered for the pilot when we landed safely.”

A spokesman for Southwest Airlines Chris Mainz said there was no explosion.Mainze said the airline will work with investigators from the National Transportation Safety Board to determine the cause.


The plane was immediately taken out of service after making the emergency landing.