Boeing 737 7H4 accident near Philadelphia, PA
On April 17, 2018, a Boeing 737 7H4 (airplane) was involved in an accident near Philadelphia, PA. 1 person died. Damage to the aircraft: substantial.
- Date
- April 17, 2018
- Place
- Philadelphia, PA
- Aircraft
- Boeing 737 7H4 · Airplane
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 8 serious, 125 minor
- Damage
- Substantial
- Position
- 39.872°N, 75.240°W
- NTSB ID
- 20180417X23642
Official records · DCA18MA142
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
- Investigation page: status, final report and safety recommendations
Air traffic control records
- 3-A Air Traffic Control Specialist Report: Document (PDF), on ntsb.gov
- 3-B Air Traffic Control Specialist Report - Attachment 1: Document (PDF), on ntsb.gov
- 3-L Air Traffic Control - Radar Data Multiple Sensors in Excel Format: Document (XLSX), on ntsb.gov
- 3-M Air Traffic Control - 84TH RADES Primary Radar Data with Height Finder in Excel Format: Document (XLSX), on ntsb.gov
- 3-N Air Traffic Control - FAA Accident Package: Document (PDF), on ntsb.gov
NTSB summary
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.
Probable cause
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
More accidents in PA
- Boeing B-737-300, Sep 8, 1994
- Boeing 757, Sep 11, 2001
- British Aerospace J-3101, May 21, 2000
- Bell UH-1N, May 29, 2008
- Beech A36, Jul 30, 1989
Browse: Pennsylvania · Boeing aircraft
Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.
