Advertisement Engine explodes over water during OKC family's flight to Disney Plane landed safely; no injuries reported Share Shares Copy Link Copy

An Oklahoma City family's trip to Disney World took a detour Saturday morning after a Southwest Airlines plane was forced to make an emergency landing.Tami Richards said she, her husband and their three children -- two of whom are ages 5 and 7, and the third is a baby -- were on a Flight 3472 from New Orleans to Orlando when, while over water, she heard a loud explosion."It was just a big explosion. There was some smoke and then nothing," Richards said in a phone interview with KOCO 5. "I saw parts flapping in the wind because it was right outside my window."The plane started to shake descend rapidly, and oxygen masks fell. People -- including Richards' children -- were screaming and crying while Richards was trying to stay calm as the plane was falling fast, she said."I held my kids, and one was freaking out, crying. And so, we're trying to hold his hand and singing and praying a lot," Richards said.Photo provided by Tami Richards"I had my faith in god, so I knew that whatever was going to happen, he was with us," Richards said. "So I was able to stay calm. It wasn't until after I got on the ground that I got emotional."After the pilots stabilized the plane, one came out and told passengers that one of the engines was lost, Richards said. The pilots conducted an emergency landing in Pensacola, Florida, where Southwest Airlines officials are working to get passengers to their final destination."(The crew) stayed professional. They were amazing," Richards said. "I mean, we couldn't have had a better crew, and it was thanks to that pilot that we're all alive."The Richards family is waiting for another flight so they can move past the turbulent start to the vacation. The National Transportation Safety Board is inspecting passengers' luggage, a process that Richards said would take several days."I'm nervous, but I'm really shaken up," Richards said. "I'm not going to let it (ruin the vacation). We're just going to put this behind us and move on the best we can."The family arrived in Orlando Saturday afternoon after taking another flight.The trip to the Happiest Place on Earth is the Richards children's first, and Tami Richards posted a Facebook live video Friday morning of how her children found out they were going to visit Mickey Mouse and the gang. Mobile users can watch the video here.Tami Richards Facebook live surprising children about DisneySouthwest Airlines released the following statement about the flight:Today, the Captain of Flight #3472 from New Orleans to Orlando made the decision to divert to Pensacola due to a mechanical issue with the number one engine. The flight landed safely without incident at Pensacola International Airport at 9:40 a.m. central time. Initial reports indicate there were no injuries among the 99 passengers and five crew members on board. We have notified the NTSB, and when authorized, we will be inspecting the aircraft to assess the damage. The aircraft is out of service, and we will work to accommodate the passengers to Orlando or their final destination as soon as possible.The Federal Aviation Administration released the following statement:Southwest Airlines flight 3472, a Boeing 737, from Louis Armstrong New Orleans Intentional Airport to Orlando International Airport was diverted due to an apparent engine malfunction. The flight declared an emergency and landed safely at Pensacola International Airport just before 9:45 AM Central Time. The FAA will investigate. Photo provided by Zach Martin, taken by Jeremy Martin