N772SW

Substantial
Fatal

BOEING 737 7H4S/N: 27880

Accident Details

Date
Tuesday, April 17, 2018
NTSB Number
DCA18MA142
Location
Philadelphia, PA
Event ID
20180417X23642
Coordinates
39.871944, -75.239997
Aircraft Damage
Substantial
Highest Injury
Fatal
Fatalities
1
Serious Injuries
8
Minor Injuries
125
Uninjured
6
Total Aboard
140

Probable Cause and Findings

A low-cycle fatigue crack in the dovetail of fan blade No. 13, which resulted in the fan blade separating in flight and impacting the engine fan case at a location that was critical to the structural integrity and performance of the fan cowl structure. This impact led to the in-flight separation of fan cowl components, including the inboard fan cowl aft latch keeper, which struck the fuselage near a cabin window and caused the window to depart from the airplane, the cabin to rapidly depressurize, and the passenger fatality.

Aircraft Information

Registration
N772SW
Make
BOEING
Serial Number
27880
Year Built
2000
Model / ICAO
737 7H4

Registered Owner (Historical)

Name
SOUTHWEST AIRLINES CO
Address
2702 LOVE FIELD DR # HDQ-4GC
Status
Deregistered
City
DALLAS
State / Zip Code
TX 75235-1908
Country
United States

Analysis

The NTSB's full report is available at http://www.ntsb.gov/investigations/AccidentReports/Pages/AccidentReports.aspx. The Aircraft Accident Report number is NTSB/AAR-19/03.

On April 17, 2018, about 1103 eastern daylight time, Southwest Airlines flight 1380, a Boeing 737-7H4, N772SW, experienced a left engine failure while climbing through flight level 320 en route to the flight's assigned cruise altitude. The flight had departed from LaGuardia Airport, Queens, New York, about 30 minutes earlier. As a result of the engine failure, the flight crew conducted an emergency descent and diverted to Philadelphia International Airport (PHL), Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Portions of the left engine inlet and fan cowl separated from the airplane, and fragments from the inlet and fan cowl struck the left wing, the left-side fuselage, and the left horizontal stabilizer. One fan cowl fragment impacted the left-side fuselage near a cabin window, and the window departed the airplane, which resulted in a rapid depressurization. The airplane landed safely at PHL about 17 minutes after the engine failure occurred. Of the 144 passengers and 5 crewmembers aboard the airplane, 1 passenger received fatal injuries, and 8 passengers received minor injuries. The airplane was substantially damaged. The regularly scheduled domestic passenger flight was operating under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 121 with a destination of Dallas Love Field, Dallas, Texas.

Data Source

Data provided by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). For more information on this event, visit the NTSB Records Search website. NTSB# DCA18MA142