Southwest cancels 300 flights after emergency


LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Southwest Airlines said it expects to cancel 300 flights on Saturday to allow inspections of 79 aircraft from its Boeing 737 fleet, after one of its planes with a gaping hole in the fuselage made an emergency landing.

Passengers aboard Southwest Flight 812 from Phoenix to Sacramento on Friday heard a loud noise and the hole appeared suddenly at about mid cabin. As a result, the pilot landed at a military base in Yuma, Arizona.

Southwest and Boeing engineers will inspect the grounded aircraft, and the airline is working with federal authorities to determine the cause of the incident, Southwest said in a statement.

The emergency aboard the Boeing 737-300 prompted the airline to examine other similar aircraft within its fleet, with a total of 79 inspections planned at five locations. Earlier on Saturday, Southwest said 81 aircraft would be grounded for inspections.

Because of the inspections, which will occur over the next several days, Southwest said it expects to cancel about 300 flights on Saturday.

A total of 931 Boeing 737-300s are operated by all airlines worldwide, with 288 of them in the United States, the Federal Aviation Administration said.

The Southwest flight that was forced to make an emergency landing had 118 passengers and five crew members on board.

The pilot made a rapid descent from about 34,400 feet to 11,000 feet, in accordance with standard practice, the FAA said. The purpose was to reach an altitude where supplemental oxygen is no longer required.

One flight attendant and at least one passenger were treated at the scene for minor injuries, Southwest said.

The Boeing 737 landed at 4:07 p.m. local time after declaring an emergency, said Ian Gregor, an FAA spokesman.

After the passengers deplaned at the Yuma Marine Corps Air Station, the airline arranged for another aircraft to take them to Sacramento, the company said.

Passengers described the harrowing scene to the CBS television affiliate in Sacramento, detailing the damage to the plane.

"They had just taken drink orders when I heard a huge sound and oxygen masks came down and we started making a rapid descent. They said we'd be making an emergency landing," a woman identified as Cindy told the station.

"There was a hole in the fuselage about three feet long. You could see the insulation and the wiring. You could see a tear the length of one of the ceiling panels."

Another passenger tweeted that she was "happy to be alive."

"Still feel sick. 6 foot hole in the skin of the plane five rows behind me. Unbelievable," Shawna Malvini Redden wrote. She said she texted her husband while in the air, saying "I love you."

(Additional reporting by David Schwartz and Lauren Keiper in Boston; Editing by Greg McCune)

Read more http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/topstories/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20110402/ts_nm/us_airlines_southwest

Views: 75

Comment

You need to be a member of 12160 Social Network to add comments!

Join 12160 Social Network

Comment by truth on April 2, 2011 at 6:41pm
Boeing 737NG planes might not be as safe as expected: Al Jazeera conducted interviews with Boeing whistleblowers about key structural parts in planes that are flown by over 150 airlines, according to Al Jazeera.


The whistleblowers claim that the parts in question were made by a Boeing subcontractor between 1996 and 2004 and were ill-fitting (so much so that they could lead to a "catastrophic" event) but Boeing used them anyway.


These whistleblowers produced documents from within the Boeing corporation about their concerns, yet, according to Al Jazeera, Boeing continues to do nothing about it.


WATCH the astonishing video below:


"Destroying the New World Order"

TOP CONTENT THIS WEEK

THANK YOU FOR SUPPORTING THE SITE!

mobile page

12160.info/m

12160 Administrators

 

Latest Activity

Doc Vega posted blog posts
41 minutes ago
Doc Vega commented on Doc Vega's blog post A Few More Rats in Your Skull Concerning Charlie and the Rampaging Left
"cheeki kea, Yes that was released on to book sites 19 hours before the tragic event and also there…"
21 hours ago
Burbia commented on Sandy's video
yesterday
Sandy posted a video

Charlie Kirk Was Terrified Of Israel

Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.
yesterday
Sandy posted a photo
yesterday
cheeki kea commented on Doc Vega's blog post A Few More Rats in Your Skull Concerning Charlie and the Rampaging Left
"The internet is fractioned that's for sure but it never sleeps and the big question of the day…"
yesterday
Doc Vega posted blog posts
yesterday
Burbia commented on Doc Vega's blog post A Few More Rats in Your Skull Concerning Charlie and the Rampaging Left
"It seems America has many meanings to many people. The internet has fractioned everybody. I had…"
yesterday
Doc Vega commented on Doc Vega's blog post Plausible Explanation Behind Recent Cryptid Sightings in the Wild!
"Cheeki kea I'm glad that the giant Moa downsized to this turkey looking land walker.!"
yesterday
Burbia commented on Burbia's blog post Charlie Kirk Assaination
"I don't know what difference if any that he was also a member of Council for National Policy.…"
yesterday
Doc Vega commented on Burbia's blog post Charlie Kirk Assaination
"I remember when they found out that the united Council of Churches worldwide had been funding…"
yesterday
Burbia posted a blog post

Charlie Kirk Assaination

September 10th 2025 in Utah Turning Point USA CEO has been assassinated. Coincidentally,  answering…See More
Thursday
Doc Vega posted a blog post

Bow to Your New Masters

 Dr. Jerome Corsi reports that the discovery of a new wireless system that can corrupt any…See More
Tuesday
cheeki kea commented on Doc Vega's blog post Plausible Explanation Behind Recent Cryptid Sightings in the Wild!
"Wow I never knew penguins got down sized also over time. I knew of the Moa which is really now a…"
Tuesday
Sandy posted a video

Civalyze meme

meme ad for a fake drug that would do away with black fatiguecivilyze you're not racist your just exhausted
Monday
Burbia posted a blog post

Is the Timing of Alex Jones and Charlie Sheen Connected?

Alex Jones is sperging out.Charlie Sheen is coming out of the closet.Is this why Alex Jones is…See More
Sep 6
Doc Vega posted a blog post

Buying the Last haunted House on the Left (A partial autobiography)

Note to the reader, there are events here that are true and some that are fictional.Chapter IIt was…See More
Sep 5
Doc Vega posted a blog post

In Memory of Those Who Served

 Bullets flew and ricochetedI was on that hill todayMy Company commander got blown awayI was on…See More
Sep 4
Doc Vega posted blog posts
Sep 2
Doc Vega commented on Doc Vega's blog post Plausible Explanation Behind Recent Cryptid Sightings in the Wild!
"cheeki kea I was wrong Emperor Penguins are big and powerful but still alive but this,  A size…"
Sep 2

© 2025   Created by truth.   Powered by

Badges  |  Report an Issue  |  Terms of Service

content and site copyright 12160.info 2007-2019 - all rights reserved. unless otherwise noted