Southwest Jet Makes Emergency Landing After Gremlin Rips Hole In Fuselage

Southwest Airlines flight 2298 made an emergency landing in West Virginia yesterday after a hole appeared on the top of the plane while in flight. “Passengers reported that they could see the sky through the rupture,” writes the Washington Post. It left Nashville around 4:05pm, but landed only 50 minutes later. According to this WPRI video clip, Southwest spent the night inspecting 181 of its Boeing 737-300 jets, and they say there should be no delays today.

Update: Here’s a passenger’s blurry cell-cam video of the hole in the roof. (Thanks to Chad!)

For a dramatization of the event, watch this clip. (Or the remake here.)

“Hole in Baltimore-Bound Plane Compels Landing” [Washington Post]
“Southwest Inspects Boeing 737-300s After Hole Forms in Fuselage” [Bloomberg]

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