All passengers on a Boeing 737 are safe after the plane’s takeoff was delayed at the Lubbock Preston Smith Airport in Texas on Thursday evening due to a reported engine fire, the latest incident to occur on a Boeing 737 aircraft.
Southwest Airlines flight 1928 was preparing to depart to Las Vegas but returned to the gate before takeoff for a reported engine fire, according to a city of Lubbock news release. The flight crew reported a possible engine fire shortly after the plane taxied from the gate. Lubbock Fire Rescue responded and was on standby as the plane returned to the gate on its own power.
Lubbock is located in the northwest part of the state, about 124 miles south of Amarillo and 345 miles west of Dallas.
In a social media post, the fire department said Aircraft Rescue Firefighting units were on the scene and confirmed the fire was contained to a single engine, with operations underway around 6:30 p.m. to extinguish it.
After the fire Thursday, the city said runway 17R was closed for cleaning and inspection. The airport urged travelers to check with their airline for up-to-date flight status information.
In a statement to the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal, part of the USA TODAY Network, Southwest estimated that the travelers, who were put on another plane, would arrive in Las Vegas about three hours behind schedule.
Other issues found recently on Boeing 737 planes
The engine fire at the Lubbock, Texas airport is the latest issue to be found recently in a Boeing 737…
