Hole in Southwest jet forces emergency landing

[IDemo]

Source: Associated Press

CHARLESTON, West Virginia - Southwest Airlines was inspecting nearly 200 of its aircraft overnight after a hole in the fuselage of a plane forced an emergency landing in West Virginia.

Charleston, West Virginia, airport spokesman Brian Belcher said passengers on the 737 aircraft could see the outside through the 1-foot-by-1-foot (30-centimeter-by-30-centimeter) hole in the rear of the plane. The cabin lost pressure, but no one was injured. The plane, which originated in Nashville and was headed to Baltimore, landed safely in Charleston Monday evening.

It was not clear what caused the damage.

Southwest Airlines Co. spokeswoman Marilee McInnis said the company was inspecting all of its 737-300s overnight as a precaution. Service Tuesday should not be affected.

Read more: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/31902513/ns/travel-news/

[Dr.Phool]

1. I'm done flying commercial.

And I have a pilot's license. I love flying.

Maintenance is being shipped down to Central America. Or unqualified foreign nationals are being brought in for repairs.

I've said repeatedly that it would take a generation to repair the damage that the Bush Administration and the Republicans did to this country. This is just another example of deregulation run amok.

[slackmaster]

2. That's something you don't see every day

I'm glad nobody was injured.

[peace13]

3. I would love to read that memo.

Inspect all jets for holes in fuselage duh like that would seem like an obvious thing to do at all times! Next thing that we will hear is that birds attacked the jet while underway!

[happygoluckytoyou]

4. NOTE TO PILOTS, please keep an eye out for holes in jets other than the usual doors etc. thanks SWA

[driver8]

5. Good Lord -- I'm flying on Southwest in 2 days!!

I used to love to fly -- now I hate it!

[Nihil]

6. What?

No flurry of knee-jerk "I'm never gonna fly on a 737 again" posts?

Well, well, well ... so much for the vocal "armchair defenders of
air safety" who normally spring into action on Airbus threads ...

:evilgrin:

[Tesha]

7. Maybe they're all flying Aloha Air this morning? (NT)

[KamaAina]

9. Not bloody likely

Aloha bit the dust last year under a lethal combination of predatory pricing by go! (a unit of Mesa Air) and a reluctance to keep lending by major creditor GMAC (an early sign of the financial crisis that was to come in the fall).

[high density]

10. I suspect the poster was talking about Aloha Air flight 243

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aloha_Airlines_Flight_243

[KamaAina]

11. That was, of course, the first thought that came to my mind as well

but while Aloha's demise was, of course, top news out here, I imagine it barely made a ripple on the mainland. Basically, in order for us to make national news, someone has to die, or be elected President.

[Tesha]

15. Of course. A very famous 737 incident. And I knew the airline was gone, but couldn't resist. (NT)

[Sen. Walter Sobchak]

8. Interesting isn't it...

[damntexdem]

12. Did someone throw a wedding boquet at it?

[Optical.Catalyst]

13. If somebody had fired a handgun on that plane, the hole in the cabin would have sucked everybody out

[WriteDown]

14. Was William Shatner on the plane? nt