A Southwest Airlines flight travelling from Chicago to Newark, New Jersey, was forced to make an emergency landing in Cleveland today. The cause was reportedly a cracked window, an eerie reminder of the emergency landing last month when a Southwest engine exploded, breaking a window and killing a passenger.
Photo: AP
Photos posted to social media show the cracked window from Southwest flight 957. The plane was able to land safely in Cleveland, and there are no reports of injuries.
@SouthwestAir #WN957 diverts and makes emergency landing in CLE due to busted window pic.twitter.com/OJMZ5KTyMS
— Chaikel (@ChaikelK) May 2, 2018
In a statement to WGN in Chicago, Southwest said, “the aircraft maintained pressurization as there are multiple layers of panes in each window. No emergency landing was requested and the flight landed uneventfully with no reported injuries.”
Last month, Southwest Airlines flight 1380 lost pressure, which is what pushed passenger Jennifer Riordan, a 41-year-old Wells Fargo bank executive from Albuquerque, New Mexico, nearly out of the plane. She later died from her injuries.
After flight 957 landed, all passengers were told to board another plane at Cleveland Hopkins International Airport so that everyone could make their way to the intended destination, Newark, New Jersey.
Passengers were thankful that it was “only” a crack to the outside window, faint praise for the US airline industry.
On my way to NJ for work and #Southwest957 gets a window crack. Only outside crack so we’re all safe. On our way to NJ in new plane. Thanks to the @SouthwestAir crew and pilots for handling it professionally. pic.twitter.com/CB4s7SQtS3
— Alejandro Aguina (@Dro_AA) May 2, 2018
Coincidentally, President Trump hosted some of the people from last month’s Southwest Airlines disaster at the White House today. Below Trump is seen shaking hands in the Oval Office with pilot Tammie Jo Shults, who has been hailed as a hero for getting her plane safely on the ground.
Photo: AP
And in yet another case of The Onion being ahead of the news, here’s a story from 19 April 2018:
Trash Bag Taped Over Broken Southwest Plane Window https://t.co/Xm1P4TTRtX pic.twitter.com/iALwFdZ3ez
— The Onion (@TheOnion) May 2, 2018
Southwest Airlines received a $US1.4 billion ($1.8 billion) benefit from the Republican tax cut. Maybe it could spend a few of those dollars on updating its fleet and hiring more members for its maintenance crew.