A Southwest Airlines plane that was on its way to Cancun, Mexico, was able to make a safe emergency landing after one of its engines caught fire. Captured on video, flames were seen shooting out from the right wing of the airplane just shortly after takeoff.
On August 15, the flight, which was identified as Southwest flight 307, took off from William P. Hobby Airport in Houston, Texas. It "returned to the airport on Tuesday night after experiencing a mechanical issue shortly after takeoff," a spokesperson for the airline shared in a statement.
"The aircraft landed safely and was taken out of service for review," the statement continued. "A different aircraft continued the flight to Cancun last evening, and we appreciate our customers' patience and support."
Passengers on the plane spoke out about the experience. “I think I fly once or twice a month, and I knew that wasn’t normal," Coale Kalisek explained of noticing that the plane began swinging from side to side. "And so I opened up my window [shade], and I’m sitting next to the engine, and that whole engine you see like fireballs coming out of it.”
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"We felt like a little air pocket going up. And then I heard the boom … and then you started smelling the fuel," said passenger Jordan Kleinecke. All in all, everyone is glad to have made a safe landing and that the issue was able to be resolved.
