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Southwest 737 Lands With ‘Football-size” Hole in Fuselage

Gemini Sparkle

Key Takeaways:

  • A Southwest Airlines flight experienced a sudden loss of cabin pressure due to a one-foot-square hole in the upper fuselage, prompting an emergency descent and diversion.
  • The Boeing 737 landed safely at Yeager Airport in Charleston, West Virginia, with no injuries, and passengers applauded the pilot.
  • Southwest Airlines initiated a fleet-wide inspection of its 737 aircraft, returning them all to service the following day.
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Passengers on a Southwest Airlines flight from Nashville to Baltimore on Monday were jolted by a loss of cabin pressure caused by a one-foot-square hole in the upper fuselage. Passenger oxygen masks deployed, the crew initiated an emergency descent and diverted to Yeager Airport in Charleston, West Virginia where the Boeing 737 landed uneventfully. No one was injured. One passenger told reporters the pilot walked through the cabin after the landing to inspect the hole, receiving applause from passengers and a few hugs. Southwest initiated a fleet wide inspection before returning all its 737s to service the next day.

Mark Phelps

Mark Phelps is a senior editor at AVweb. He is an instrument rated private pilot and former owner of a Grumman American AA1B and a V-tail Bonanza.

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