PHILADELPHIA – A Dallas-bound Southwest plane was forced to make and emergency landing Tuesday in Philadelphia after an engine blew, injuring one person aboard, according to KYW.
Flight SWA 1380 departed from LaGuardia at 10:27 a.m. before an apparent engine problem forced it to circle back to Philadelphia International Airport.
The father of a passenger, Todd Baur, told WCAU that shrapnel from the engine burst through the window of the plane, with the violent change in pressure partially sucking her out of the aircraft. Baur said other passengers helped pull her back in.
Passengers shared photos of the shredded casing of one of the aircraft’s engines.
A Facebook Live video shows a passenger, oxygen mask in one hand and phone in the other, with the caption, “Something is wrong with our plane! It appears we are going down! Emergency landing!! Southwest flight from NYC to Dallas!!”
“Someone on the plane had a heart attack and it looks like an engine blew out then a window was blown open,” Martinez wrote. “We are still on the plane and they are trying to revive a woman on the plane.”
Emergency crews met the plane at the tarmac at Philadelphia International Airport after it landed safely. At least one person was treated at an area hospital, according to KYW, but the extent of any injuries is not clear.
Southwest Airlines provided this statement:
We are aware that Southwest flight #1380 from New York La Guardia (LGA) to Dallas Love Field (DAL) has diverted to Philadelphia International Airport (PHL). We are in the process of transporting Customers and Crew into the terminal. The aircraft, a Boeing 737-700, has 143 Customers and five Crewmembers onboard. We are in the process of gathering more information. Safety is always our top priority at Southwest Airlines, and we are working diligently to support our Customers and Crews at this time.
This is a developing story.
