Southwest 737 Survives Fuselage Rupture
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Guy Norris guy_norris@aviationweek.com
A Southwest Airlines' Boeing 737-300 made an emergency landing in Charleston, W.Va., on July 13 after a section of the fuselage skin ruptured near the crown, causing the cabin to depressurize.
Southwest Flight 2294 was diverted to Charleston's Yeager Airport and landed shortly after 6:30 p.m. The aircraft was 30 minutes into its flight from Nashville, Tenn, to Baltimore when the depressurization occurred. Southwest says there were no injuries amongst the 126 passengers and five crew.
According to local reports, the hole developed toward the rear of the fuselage, a view supported by press images which appear to show officials conducting a visual inspection of the area close to the crown above the left aft main cabin passenger door. Airport officials are quoted as saying passengers could see the outside through a roughly "one-foot by one-foot hole." However Southwest says the cause of the depressurization was "a small hole in the fuselage around mid-cabin near the top of the aircraft."
Southwest was unable to verify the age or identity of the aircraft involved, though AviationWeek understands it is N387SW, a 15-year old -300 "Classic" that first flew on June 16, 1994. No information has yet been released on the number of cycles flown by the aircraft, or the date of its last maintenance inspection. Southwest adds it is "working with the NTSB and Boeing to determine the causes of the depressurization."
File photo credit: Boeing
