Advertisement Orlando-bound Southwest Airlines flight diverted after major engine issue Share Shares Copy Link Copy

An Orlando-bound Southwest Airlines flight was diverted to Pensacola Saturday when one of its engines developed a major problem mid-flight.The issue was reported about 9:30 a.m., shortly after Flight 3742 left Louis Armstrong International Airport in New Orleans.The plane, a Boeing 737-700, landed safely at Pensacola International Airport about 9:40 a.m.Southwest Airlines said there were no injuries among the 99 passengers and five crew members who were on board the plane. They were transferred to another plane and arrived in Orlando shortly before 5 p.m.Images of the engine circulated on social media made it appear as though part of it had blown off; however, a spokesperson for Southwest Airlines said there was no explosion.Passengers said they heard a loud boom just before the plane tilted in one direction."It was like an explosion," passenger Julie Stephens said. "I thought it was an attack and that the plane was going to go down.""It just felt like half the plane almost capsized on the other side. I was kind of worried about that," Travis Stephens said.Passenger Tammy Richard said as soon she heard the noise she held her 5-year-old son and began to pray. "I looked out the window, there was all this smoke, I held him real close to me and then all of it was gone, I looked out the window and just saw metal flapping," Richards said.Passengers said that as oxygen masks deployed, the plane's pilots and crewmembers stayed calm and told them the flight would have to be diverted.Minutes later, the plane touched down at the airport in Pensacola without further incident."(There was) a big round of applause for the captain," Travis Stephens said.Southwest Airlines said it will inspect the damage when authorized and work with the National Transportation Safety Board to determine the cause of the problem.The airline released the following statement: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.41402574