Aluminium body Boeing 737 of Southwest Airlines lands with 12-inch skin crack

The United States Federal officials on 13th March’20 stated that they are investigating after a crack was found on the skin of the Boeing 737 jet.

The flight is operated by Southwest Airlines and the incident occurred on 9th March’20 when the flight was travelling from Las Vegas to Boise, Idaho. The plane gradually lost cabin pressure and flight records show that pilots began a rapid, six-minute descent from 39,000 feet to 22,000 feet.

The Southwest Airlines and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said at an altitude of 22,000 feet the cabin pressure was safe and the crew landed the flight without any injuries, neither oxygen masks in the passenger cabin dropped from the ceiling.

The inspection by FAA turned up a 12-inch crack in the skin of the plane’s crown behind the cockpit. Generally, airlines are required to inspect that area, particularly in every 1,500 flights. The FAA also stated that it’s too early to declare whether the frequency of inspections should be increased.

The aluminium-body jets such as Boeing 737 occurs with skin crack that is usually caused by fatigue or wear and tear. Maintenance experts say fatigue cracks are not uncommon in aged planes, and inspections are designed to find them and repair them before they become safety problems.

In 2009, metal fatigue created a hole in the roof of a Southwest jet as it cruised 35,000 feet over West Virginia. The crack started where two sheets of aluminium skin were bonded together.

Michelle Agnew, spokeswoman, Southwest Airlines said: “The plane had been inspected for cracks within the required 1,500-flight period.”

Agnew said: “During the flight, pilots responded to an indicator in the cockpit and followed standard procedures by descending to a lower altitude to maintain a safe and comfortable cabin environment. That resolved the issue, and the crew continued safely to Boise”.

A spokesman for Chicago-based Boeing said the manufacturer was aware of the incident and was working with Southwest to learn more.

Southwest reported to FAA that required inspections turned up external cracks in two other planes in the same area but that those incidents didn’t lead to cabin decompression.

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