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Dramatic cockpit audio captured the frantic pilot of a Southwest Airlines flight asking for an “immediate return” to Denver and declaring an emergency after an engine cover ripped off shortly after taking off with 143 people on board.
“We don’t know the nature of the emergency but apparently several passengers and flight attendants hear something loud hit the wing,” the pilot of the Houston-bound Boeing 737-800 is heard in a recording obtained by LiveATC.net.
A few seconds later, he tells the controller: “Let’s go ahead and declare an emergency for Southwest 3695 and we’d like an immediate return.
“We’ve got a piece of engine cowling hanging off, apparently,” he adds.
Terrifying video posted on X by ABC’s chief transportation reporter Sam Sweeney shows the cover flapping in the wind in full view of the passengers.
The pilot then informs traffic control that he was planning a flaps-up landing – a procedure in which the devices, which are normally lowered to provide extra lift at slower speeds, are kept up during certain emergencies.
The Federal Aviation Administration has confirmed that the cowling detached and struck one of the flaps.
“We’re moving everybody out of the way,” the controller advises the pilot, who is busy running through checklists.
When asked for more information about the damage, the pilot says he “thought the flap from the inboard of the side between the engine and the fuselage ripped off on takeoff.
“We don’t actually see it from the cockpit – that’s just what the crew in the back are telling us,” he adds. “The engines seem to be fine but we’re structurally damaged.”
The pilot then asks to change the landing runway due to “the flaps up and the heavy gross weight” of the plane, which still carried about five hours of fuel.
Moments later, the flight landed safely and was met by emergency vehicles. No one was injured in the terrifying incident.
A Southwest rep told The Post the incident was the result of a “mechanical issue” on the plane, which was manufactured in 2017.
“Southwest Flight 3695 returned to Denver International Airport this morning and landed safely after experiencing a mechanical issue. Our Customers will arrive at Houston Hobby on another aircraft, approximately three hours behind schedule,” the spokesperson said.
The plane returned to Denver about 25 minutes after takeoff.
A Boeing spokesperson directed The Post’s inquiries to Southwest.
The embattled aerospace giant has been dogged by a series of safety issues and CEO Dave Calhoun has announced he will step down from his post at the end of the year.
On Jan. 5, an Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 MAX 9 suffered a near-catastrophic mid-flight blowout when a door plug blew off at an altitude of 16,000 feet.
The plane made an emergency landing in Portland, Oregon, with a hole the size of a refrigerator. Miraculously, just one of the 177 passengers was injured.
Last month, the Justice Department announced it had launched a criminal investigation into the incident. Boeing and Alaska Airlines have also since been hit with a $1 billion lawsuit over safety concerns.
