Southwest Grounds 79 Jets after Emergency Landing | Aviation International News

Southwest Grounds 79 Jets after Emergency Landing

Southwest Airlines has grounded 79 (not 81 as was previously reported) of its Boeing 737s as it began working with Boeing and the NTSB to determine the cau

By Gregory Polek • Senior Editor

April 2, 2011

Southwest Airlines has grounded 79 (not 81 as was previously reported) of its Boeing 737s as it began working with Boeing and the NTSB to determine the cause of a “depressurization event” during a flight from Phoenix to Sacramento on Friday afternoon. The airplane diverted to Yuma, Ariz., for an emergency landing at 5:07 p.m. local time after a hole developed in the top of fuselage. The airline said it has begun an “aggressive inspection effort” with Boeing engineers.

“The safety of our customers and employees is our primary concern, and we are grateful there were no serious injuries,” said Mike Van de Ven, Southwest’s executive vice president and chief operating officer. “We have launched personnel to Yuma to begin the investigation process with the NTSB, FAA, and appropriate parties to determine the cause of the depressurization.” Southwest expected to cancel some 300 flights today to accommodate the inspections.

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