Washington, April 18 (TNS): A US passenger jet has made an emergency landing in Philadelphia after part of the covering on its left engine got ripped off.
A window and part of the fuselage were also damaged, officials say.
The Southwest Airlines plane was flying from New York’s La Guardia airport to Dallas, Texas, with 143 passengers and five crew aboard.
The Boeing Co 737-700 made a safe landing but at least one person is said to have been injured.
The US Federal Aviation Administration has opened an investigation.
“All of a sudden, we heard this loud bang, rattling…” said one passenger.
“It just shredded the left-side engine completely… it was scary,” Kristopher Johnson told CNN.
Photos have been shared on social media showing passengers sitting in oxygen masks as the plane shudders around them.
Timothy Bourman, a pastor from New York City, told The Inquirer and Daily News he had been sitting in the rear of the plane when he heard a loud boom.
“All the sudden, it felt like we dropped 100 feet,” he said.
“We were kind of out of control for a while. It seemed like the pilot was having a hard time controlling the plane. Honestly I think we just all thought we were going down.”
When flight attendants told passengers to brace for impact, Mr Bourman said he and his wife worried for the worst.
“We’re just all really thankful to be alive right now,” he said. “Thankful to God, thankful to that pilot.”
Courtesy: CNN
