Mid-Air Tragedy: Female Passenger Gets Sucked Out of Southwest Plane Window After Engine Debris Cracks Window

A woman flying on Southwest airline flight 1380 from New York to Dallas, was sucked into a hole left by a shattered window, mid air. The woman died, officials said. The woman was sitting on the left side of the plane when something in the engine apparently broke and smacked into the window. She hung out of the hole for many minutes, reported CNN. Many passengers attempted to rescue the woman, to pull the woman back into the plane, until two men were able to get the woman back in her seat.

The flight data recorder showed the plane was at 32,500 feet when the engine failed about 20 minutes into the flight. The flight tracking website FlightRadar24 estimated the Boeing 737-700 carrying 149 people descended from 31,684 feet to about 10,000 feet, in a little over five minutes.

The flight made an emergency landing at the Philadelphia airport. Philadelphia Fire Commissioner Adam Thiel said earlier that one of the 149 passengers and crew members on board was taken to the hospital in critical condition, who later died. Seven others were treated for minor injuries.

Investigators from the National Transportation Safety Board got a preliminary look at the engine that failed. One of 24 fan blades was missing, NTSB Chairman Robert Sumwalt said in Philadelphia and there was evidence of metal fatigue where the blade attaches to a hub.

Southwest CEO Gary Kelly said the family of the victim was the airline's primary concern. "This is a sad day and our hearts go out to the family and the loved ones of the deceased customer," he said. "We will do all that we can to support them during this very difficult time."

The woman who was killed was identified as Jennifer Riordan, according to CNN affiliate KOAT, which cited Annunciation Catholic School. Riordan, 43, worked for Wells Fargo in Albuquerque, New Mexico, the station reported.

The airliner's flight data recorder and the cockpit voice recorder have been sent to Washington.

Last year the U.S. Federal Aviation Authority had issued an airworthiness directive on the CFM56-7B version of aircraft engines that would have required inspection of the fan blades.

This is the first death in Southwest in an in-flight situation in the airline’s company history. Boeing said it is providing technical assistance in the investigation.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Apr 18, 2018 09:40 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).