Southwest Airlines Flight 812 had a problem - a big, gaping hole in the body of the aircraft problem. The flight made an emergency landing, without loss of life. Flights on Southwest Airlines were immediately canceled in the wake of the incident until every 737 in their fleet could be examined for any potential safety issues.
Southwest Airlines is currently trying to determine the cause of the gaping hole in one of its airplanes that was tweeted and emailed about as it occurred during a flight between Phoenix and Sacramento.
The incident could have seemed like an April
Fool's prank, as it happened on Friday, April 1, 2011 on a routine
flight between Phoenix and Sacramento. The plane quickly lost pressure
and plummetted from approximately 36,000 feet to 10,000 feet in minutes.
The flight was diverted to Yuma, Arizona. 118 passengers and 5 crew
were on board.
Southwest Airlines released the following regarding the incident - Preliminary
reports indicated the aircraft lost pressure and oxygen masks were
deployed shortly after takeoff from Phoenix. After the plane landed
safely in Yuma, the crew confirmed a hole in the top of the aircraft,
approximately mid-cabin. One flight attendant was treated at the scene
for a minor injury, as was at least one passenger. No injuries required
transport to the hospital.Southwest Airlines stated that 118 passengers on board Flight 812 have received a full refund along with an apology and two complimentary roundtrip passes on Southwest for future travel.
The airline reports that it is working with both the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to figure out the cause of the hole in the airplane during flight.
Southwest Airlines is further assessing the
damage to the aircraft and is inspecting 79 of its Boeing 737 to look
for any signs of aircraft skin fatigue.
Hundreds of flights have been canceled, and expect delays until the inspections are fully completed.The airline strongly advises passengers to check their flight status on southwest.com in the wake of this incident, and for rebooking in the case of canceled flights.
EmoticonEmoticon