Southwest Airlines Flight 1380

Southwest Airlines Flight 1380, a Boeing 737-700, suffered a contained engine failure in its left engine after departing from New York–LaGuardia Airport (LGA/KLGA) heading to Dallas Love Field (DAL/KDAL) on the 17th of April 2018. The engine cowl broke apart, and the resulting fragments damaged the fuselage, shattered a cabin window, and caused an explosive decompression of the aircraft. Additional debris damaged the wing. The crew initiated an emergency descent and diverted to Philadelphia International Airport (PHL/KPHL). Sadly, one passenger was fatally injured after being partially ejected from the aircraft, and eight others sustained minor to serious injuries. 

The aircraft incurred significant damage.

At 11:03 AM (Eastern Daylight Time), the aircraft was at an altitude of 32,000 feet (9,800 meters) and ascending when the left engine exploded. Consequently, a significant portion of the engine inlet and cowling fragments detached. These fragments impacted the wing and fuselage, shattering a window at row 14 in the cabin, leading to an uncontrolled decompression of the aircraft.

This incident closely resembled an accident that occurred 20 months prior involving Southwest Airlines Flight 3472, which was operating the same type of aircraft and engines. Following the earlier incident, CFM, the engine manufacturer, issued a service directive for ultrasonic inspections of turbine fan blades with specific serial numbers, service cycles, or service time. However, Southwest did not inspect the engine that failed in this incident as it did not fall within the directive's specified parameters.

Aircraft Information:

Airline: Southwest Airlines

Code: WN/SWA

Aircraft: Boeing 737-7H4

Registration: N772SW

Serial Number: 27880

Engines: 2 x CFMI CFM56-7B24

First Flew: 26th June 2000

Age: 23.10 Years