Woman passenger is almost sucked out of a plane window after Southwest Airlines engine explodes and sends shrapnel into the glass before she is dragged back by passengers on flight of terror
The engine exploded while the Boeing 737-700 was on its way from LaGuardia Airport to Dallas on Tuesday
Passengers heard a loud noise then watched in terror as the oxygen masks descended from the roof
A piece of shrapnel from the exploding engine flew back and shattered a window on the left side of the plane
The female passenger sitting next to it was partially sucked out and had to be held down by others
The plane flew for 10 minutes with one engine before landing at Philadelphia International Airport at 11.30am
The injured woman was taken to hospital and her condition is not yet known but no others were hurt
Passengers praised the five crew on board as heroes for getting the 143 passenger to the ground alive
By JENNIFER SMITH
DAILYMAIL.COM
17 April 2018
A female passenger was partially sucked out the window of a Southwest Airlines plane and had to be pulled back inside after the aircraft was pierced by the shrapnel from an exploding engine, it has been claimed.
The Boeing 737 had not long departed from LaGuardia Airport in New York City and was on its way to Dallas when the left engine exploded and shrapnel flew towards the window.
It was flying over east Pennsylvania with 143 passengers and five members of crew on board when the left engine suddenly exploded at 32,000ft.
The pilot immediately diverted its course and flew towards Philadelphia to make an emergency landing. It arrived at 11.30am, around 10 minutes after the engine exploded.
According to other passengers on the plane, the shrapnel pierced a window next to a female passenger who was ‘partially sucked through it’ as the aircraft made its descent.
‘One passenger, a woman, was partially drawn out towards the out of the plane, she was pulled back in by other passengers,’ Todd Bauer, the father of another passenger on board, told NBC 10.
The woman was taken to hospital and the extent of her injuries is not known.
A nurse and an EMT who were also passengers helped her until the plane landed and she was taken to hospital.
Southwest Airlines has not acknowledged the woman’s injuries.
In a statement, the airline said: ‘Southwest Airlines flight 1380, which departed LaGuardia for Dallas Love Field , diverted to PHL because of an operational event.
‘The plane landed safely. No slides were deployed.’
Terrified passengers shared videos and photos from on board before the plane landed as they descended at 3,000ft per minute.
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