LUBBOCK, Texas (KTNV) — A reported engine failure and fire led to a Las Vegas-bound Southwest flight to be grounded in Lubbock.
According to the airline, the flight crew for Southwest flight #1928, a Boeing 737, reported the fire shortly after the plane taxied from the gate.
Lubbock Fire Rescue responded and was on stand-by as the plane returned to the gate.
No passengers were injured. They all got off the plane and returned to the terminal.
Passenger Donnie Rundell said he thought they had blown a tire on the plane during takeoff.
"It was pretty loud. Like I said, the pilots hit the brakes and everything. They stopped and everything was good. We just had to sit on the taxiway for awhile because the brakes were hot," Rundell said. "As soon as they cooled off, the fire department escorted us back to the gate. They've got another plane coming in."
It's a sentiment echoed by fellow passenger Lisa Powell.
"We had gotten to the acceleration part of takeoff where you're about to take off and you could feel, you could hear a thump and the plane kind of swerved and then we came to a stop, kind of a decent stop, like it didn't seem scary. A tire had blown out is actually what my husband and I thought," Powell said. "The pilot came on and said that actually, the engine had ingested something and a flame came out and that our brakes had gotten very hot when we came to a stop so the fire department was there to make sure everything was okay and check the brakes."
Rundell said he doesn't have any safety concerns as he waits for his flight.
"They did the best they could. Like I said, they took care of us."
Neither does Powell.
"All in all, it seems like they've handled it really well," Powell said. "Everything seems to be, so far, I don't want to say seamless but as without issue as it could be, given what happened."
As of 5 p.m. CT, runway 17R at Lubbock Preston Smith International Airport has been closed for cleaning and inspection.
Channel 13 reached out to Southwest Airlines and received the following statement.
"Southwest Flight 1928 safely discontinued its takeoff roll this evening at Preston Smith International Airport in Lubbock, Texas, after the crew received an indication of a possible engine issue. The aircraft taxied under its own power back to a gate at the terminal. We are working to accommodate our customers on another aircraft. We estimate that they will arrive in Las Vegas about three hours behind schedule. We apologize for the delayed journey and place nothing higher than the Safety of our Customers and Employees."
