Southwest Boeing 737's engine cover fell off during takeoff, 2nd incident in a week

livemint.com:

Boeing 737-800 returned to Denver International Airport on Sunday morning after the engine cowling fell off and struck the wing flap during takeoff, the Federal Aviation Administration said. The airlines, in an official statement, informed that the Boeing 737 landed safely at Denver International Airport and the passengers headed to Houston's William P. Hobby Airport were being shifted to another jet.

It added that the passengers of Southwest Flight 3695 are scheduled to arrive their destination three hours late. The incident took place at around 8:15 am, AP reported. However, the passengers arrived in Houston approximately four hours later than planned.

The Southwest airlines stated that the aircraft is being examined by maintenance teams. The Southwest airlines with 135 passengers and six crew members issued an apology for the inconvenience caused due to cowling loss during take off. “We apologize for the delay, but place our highest priority on ultimate Safety for our Customers and Employees.

Our Maintenance teams are reviewing the aircraft," it said. Notably, it is the second mishap this week for the Southwest airlines as a flight from Texas was canceled on Thursday after a report of an engine fire. .

One of the two engines had a fire that needed to be put out, according to online confirmation from the Lubbock, Texas, fire department. Currently, the FAA is investigating both incidents. The plane entered service in June 2015.

Both planes were Boeing 737-800s, an older model than the 737 Max. The airline refused to reveal when the plane's engine had last had maintenance. Boeing has come under intense criticism since a door plug panel tore off a new Alaska Airlines 737 MAX 9 jet at 16,000 feet on January 5.