David Shepardson
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The loss of an engine cover on a Southwest Airlines Boeing (NYSE:) 737-800 on Sunday that crashed during takeoff in Denver and struck a flap was the result of maintenance problems. This was announced on Wednesday by the chairman of the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB).
NTSB Chairman Jennifer Homendy told reporters after the Senate hearing that the plane was undergoing maintenance the night before the incident in which it lost its engine cowling.
“It’s a maintenance issue,” Homendy said, adding that the council decided not to launch a formal investigation. The NTSB sent a structural engineer living in Denver to inspect the aircraft but was satisfied with its understanding of the incident.
“Southwest is addressing this issue,” she added.
Previous engine cowling incidents have been attributed to fan cowl doors not being locked. In the Southwest incident, Homendy said, “there may be some issues with how they latch to see if they can tell if they’re locked or not. That’s why they are now going through these procedures.”
The Federal Aviation Administration, which is conducting the investigation, had no comment Wednesday. Southwest said it would “refer the decision to the FAA due to the ongoing investigation into this incident.”
No one was injured and Southwest Flight 3695 returned safely to Denver International Airport around 8:15 a.m. local time (1415 GMT) on Sunday and was towed to the gate after losing its engine cowling.
The Boeing plane, bound for Houston Hobby Airport with 135 passengers and six crew members on board, climbed to an altitude of about 10,300 feet (3,140 m) and returned 25 minutes after takeoff.
The aircraft entered service in June 2015, according to the FAA. Boeing referred questions to Southwest.
The 737-800 is the previous generation of the best-selling 737, known as the 737 NG, which in turn was replaced by the 737 MAX.
Boeing has come under fire after a door panel tore off a new Alaska Airlines 737 MAX 9 at 16,000 feet on Jan. 5.
Following the incident, the FAA suspended production of the MAX 9 for several weeks, prohibited Boeing from increasing its production rate of the MAX, and ordered the company to develop a comprehensive plan to address “systemic quality control issues” within 90 days.
The FAA is investigating several other recent engine problems with Southwest’s Boeing fleet.