Smoky Mountain Journal -One Person Killed, Seven Injured Tuesday After Southwest Airlines Place Explodes Mid Air

Investigators probing the death of the "remarkable" mother of two who was "partially sucked out" the window of a Southwest Airlines flight Tuesday said metal fatigue may be responsible for the engine explosion that burst the window next to Jennifer Riordan's seat.

Fellow passengers tried in vain to save Riordan, a New Mexico businesswoman, and were able to pull her back into the jet. But she was pronounced dead at a Pennsylvania hospital after Flight 1380 made an emergency landing at Philadelphia International Airport around 11:20 a.m.

Former ace Navy pilot Tammie Jo Shultz was identified as being the "American hero" who guided the damaged plane safely to the ground.

Shultz calmly radioed news of the mangled engine to air traffic controllers from the cockpit.

We have a part of the aircraft missing, so we’re going to need to slow down a bit," Schultz said, according to Reuters.

But her the pilot's steady tone and skilled maneuvering was in direct contrast to the chaos enveloping the passenger cabin behind her.

One person reported there was "blood everywhere," while passenger Joe Marcus said it "felt like we were just falling from the sky."

Images soon emerged of the smashed out window next to which Riordan was apparently seated.

Riordan worked as a vice president of community relations for Wells Fargo, and was a graduate of the University of New Mexico. A close friend of Riordan told KOB that the mother of two, who was married to Michael Riordan, who served until recently as the chief operating officer for the city of Albuquerque, "never forgot the [New Mexico Broadcasters Association] and supported the foundation however she could." The friend added that "Jennifer was a remarkable mother and part of the NMBA family."

"Jennifer's vibrancy, passion and love infused our community and reached across our country. Her impact on everything and everyone she touched can never be fully measured," a family statement, published by WFAA-TV, read. She was further described as "the bedrock of our family."

As the search for the cause of the calamity continued, National Transportation Safety Board chairman Robert Sumwalt said one of the engine’s fan blades was separated and missing. The blade was separated at the point where it would come into the hub and there was evidence of "metal fatigue," Sumwalt said.

Sumwalt said part of the engine was found in Bernville, Pa., about 70 miles from Philadelphia’s airport.

The engine will need to be further examined to understand what caused the failure, the NTSB said. The examination was expected to take 12 to 15 months.

Meanwhile, Bill English, the NTSB’s lead investigator, said he has obtained the flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder from the flight that are being sent to the agency’s headquarters in Washington, D.C. for download. It was not immediately clear when the transcripts would be made available.

Southwest CEO Gary Kelly said there were no problems with the plane or its engine when it was inspected on Sunday.

The jet's CFM56-7B engines were made by CFM International, jointly owned by General Electric and Safran Aircraft Engines of France. CFM said in a statement that the CFM56-7B has had "an outstanding safety and reliability record" since its debut in 1997.

The Federal Aviation Administration is expected to inspect CFM56-7B engines shortly following the incident.

Fox News' Nicole Darrah and Bradford Betz and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

One person was killed and seven others were injured Tuesday after a Southwest Airlines plane engine apparently exploded midair, officials said.

Flight 1380, which was headed from LaGuardia Airport in New York City to Dallas' Love Field, made an emergency landing at Philadelphia International Airport just before 11:30 a.m. The jet had 144 passengers and five crew members aboard.

A Southwest Airlines plane sits on the runway at the Philadelphia International Airport after it made an emergency landing in Philadelphia, on Tuesday, April 17, 2018. (David Maialetti /The Philadelphia Inquirer via AP)

National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) Chairman Robert Sumwalt confirmed the death at a news conference Tuesday. It was the first passenger fatality on a U.S. airline since 2009, according to the NTSB.

Seven others were treated for minor injuries, Philadelphia Fire Commissioner Adam Thiel said, adding that one of the engines experienced a fuel leak when firefighters arrived on scene, and a small fire was quickly brought under control.

The plane made an emergency landing after the crew reported damage to one of the engines, the fuselage and at least one window, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said.

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — The Latest on the plane that made an emergency landing in Philadelphia (all times local):

Southwest Airlines plane makes emergency landing at Philadelphia International Airport; image of the damaged engine, April 17, 2018 - Photo: Joe Marcus / Twitter
9:35 a.m.

A retired registered school nurse says she performed CPR on the woman who passengers say was partially sucked out of the window of a Southwest Airlines plane that had been hit by engine debris.

Officials say Jennifer Riordan of Albuquerque, New Mexico, died after the plane heading from New York's LaGuardia Airport to Dallas made an emergency landing Tuesday in Philadelphia.

Peggy Phillips spoke to WFAA-TV upon her arrival in Dallas Tuesday night. She says shortly after takeoff there was a loud noise and the plane started shaking like it was "coming apart."

She says they started losing altitude and the masks came down.

She heard a lot of commotion a few rows behind her, noise and a whoosh of air and calls for someone who knew CPR.

She says she and an EMT lay the woman down and performed CPR for about 20 minutes, until the plane made an emergency landing in Philadelphia.

___

4:50 a.m.

The National Transportation Safety Board says a preliminary examination of the blown jet engine of the Southwest Airlines plane that set off a terrifying chain of events showed evidence of "metal fatigue."

One person was killed and seven others were injured after the twin-engine 737 blew an engine at 30,000 feet Tuesday and got hit by shrapnel that smashed a window. The plane from New York to Dallas landed in Philadelphia.

In a late night news conference Tuesday, NTSB chairman Robert Sumwalt said one of the engine's fan blades was separated and missing. The blade was separated at the point where it would come into the hub and there was evidence of metal fatigue.

As a precaution, Southwest says it will inspect similar engines in its fleet over the next 30 days.




The Great Smoky Mountain Journal Source: Tuesday, January 01, 2019 02:47 PM

One Person Killed, Seven Injured Tuesday After Southwest Airlines Place Explodes Mid Air
Investigators probing the death of the "remarkable" mother of two who was "partially sucked out" the window of a Southwest Airlines flight Tuesday said metal fatigue may be responsible for the engine explosion that burst the window next to Jennifer Riordan's seat. Fellow passengers tried in vain to save Riordan, a New Mexico businesswoman, and were able to pull her back into the jet. But she was pronounced dead at a Pennsylvania hospital after Flight 1380 made an emergency landing at Philadelphia International Airport around 11:20 a.m. Former ace Navy pilot Tammie Jo Shultz was identified as being the "American hero" who guided the damaged plane safely to the ground. Shultz calmly radioed news of the mangled engine to air traffic controllers from the cockpit. We have a part of the aircraft missing, so we’re going to need to slow down a bit," Schultz said, according to Reuters. But her the pilot's steady tone and skilled maneuvering was in direct contrast to the chaos enveloping the passenger cabin behind her. One person reported there was "blood everywhere," while passenger Joe Marcus said it "felt like we were just falling from the sky." Images soon emerged of the smashed out window next to which Riordan was apparently seated. Riordan worked as a vice president of community relations for Wells Fargo, and was a graduate of the University of New Mexico. A close friend of Riordan told KOB that the mother of two, who was married to Michael Riordan, who served until recently as the chief operating officer for the city of Albuquerque, "never forgot the [New Mexico Broadcasters Association] and supported the foundation however she could." The friend added that "Jennifer was a remarkable mother and part of the NMBA family." "Jennifer's vibrancy, passion and love infused our community and reached across our country. Her impact on everything and everyone she touched can never be fully measured," a family statement, published by WFAA-TV, read. She was further described as "the bedrock of our family." As the search for the cause of the calamity continued, National Transportation Safety Board chairman Robert Sumwalt said one of the engine’s fan blades was separated and missing. The blade was separated at the point where it would come into the hub and there was evidence of "metal fatigue," Sumwalt said. Sumwalt said part of the engine was found in Bernville, Pa., about 70 miles from Philadelphia’s airport. The engine will need to be further examined to understand what caused the failure, the NTSB said. The examination was expected to take 12 to 15 months. Meanwhile, Bill English, the NTSB’s lead investigator, said he has obtained the flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder from the flight that are being sent to the agency’s headquarters in Washington, D.C. for download. It was not immediately clear when the transcripts would be made available. Southwest CEO Gary Kelly said there were no problems with the plane or its engine when it was inspected on Sunday. The jet's CFM56-7B engines were made by CFM International, jointly owned by General Electric and Safran Aircraft Engines of France. CFM said in a statement that the CFM56-7B has had "an outstanding safety and reliability record" since its debut in 1997. The Federal Aviation Administration is expected to inspect CFM56-7B engines shortly following the incident. Fox News' Nicole Darrah and Bradford Betz and The Associated Press contributed to this report. One person was killed and seven others were injured Tuesday after a Southwest Airlines plane engine apparently exploded midair, officials said. Flight 1380, which was headed from LaGuardia Airport in New York City to Dallas' Love Field, made an emergency landing at Philadelphia International Airport just before 11:30 a.m. The jet had 144 passengers and five crew members aboard. A Southwest Airlines plane sits on the runway at the Philadelphia International Airport after it made an emergency landing in Philadelphia, on Tuesday, April 17, 2018. (David Maialetti /The Philadelphia Inquirer via AP) National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) Chairman Robert Sumwalt confirmed the death at a news conference Tuesday. It was the first passenger fatality on a U.S. airline since 2009, according to the NTSB. Seven others were treated for minor injuries, Philadelphia Fire Commissioner Adam Thiel said, adding that one of the engines experienced a fuel leak when firefighters arrived on scene, and a small fire was quickly brought under control. The plane made an emergency landing after the crew reported damage to one of the engines, the fuselage and at least one window, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said. PHILADELPHIA (AP) — The Latest on the plane that made an emergency landing in Philadelphia (all times local): Southwest Airlines plane makes emergency landing at Philadelphia International Airport; image of the damaged engine, April 17, 2018 - Photo: Joe Marcus / Twitter 9:35 a.m. A retired registered school nurse says she performed CPR on the woman who passengers say was partially sucked out of the window of a Southwest Airlines plane that had been hit by engine debris. Officials say Jennifer Riordan of Albuquerque, New Mexico, died after the plane heading from New York's LaGuardia Airport to Dallas made an emergency landing Tuesday in Philadelphia. Peggy Phillips spoke to WFAA-TV upon her arrival in Dallas Tuesday night. She says shortly after takeoff there was a loud noise and the plane started shaking like it was "coming apart." She says they started losing altitude and the masks came down. She heard a lot of commotion a few rows behind her, noise and a whoosh of air and calls for someone who knew CPR. She says she and an EMT lay the woman down and performed CPR for about 20 minutes, until the plane made an emergency landing in Philadelphia. ___ 4:50 a.m. The National Transportation Safety Board says a preliminary examination of the blown jet engine of the Southwest Airlines plane that set off a terrifying chain of events showed evidence of "metal fatigue." One person was killed and seven others were injured after the twin-engine 737 blew an engine at 30,000 feet Tuesday and got hit by shrapnel that smashed a window. The plane from New York to Dallas landed in Philadelphia. In a late night news conference Tuesday, NTSB chairman Robert Sumwalt said one of the engine's fan blades was separated and missing. The blade was separated at the point where it would come into the hub and there was evidence of metal fatigue. As a precaution, Southwest says it will inspect similar engines in its fleet over the next 30 days.