PHILADELPHIA (April 17, 2018) – Southwest Airlines Flight 1380 departed from New York at 12:30 a.m. and was forced to conduct an emergency landing in Philadelphia after the left engine of the aircraft exploded midair; Jennifer Riordan, 43-year-old mother of two, was one among 144 passengers aboard this ill-fated flight and was tragically killed.(map)
On Tuesday morning, 144 passengers and 5 crew members boarded the Boeing 747 plane that was bound for Dallas from New York. The anticipated 3-hour flight took an unexpected turn of events when the sound of a booming explosion from the aircraft’s engine cut through the air, only 20 minutes into the flight. Flight trackers estimate that the aircraft descended from 31,684 feet to 10,00 feet in about five minutes. Metal pieces of the engine broke apart and burst through one of the plane’s windows. A woman, identified as Jennifer Riordan, was sucked towards the hole as passengers struggled to pull her back in. Instant chaos ensued as several passengers tried to frantically patch up the hole in the window by stuffing it with clothes and jackets, but to no avail. Among the frantic screaming and crying passengers, some were writing final notes to their loved ones on napkins as they awaited their fate. Miraculously, the pilot and now hero of the horrfic incident, 56-year-old Tammie Jo Shults, regained control of the plane and conducted an emergency landing
The memory of Jennifer Riordan is carried on by the many friends and family that loved her deeply and respected her. Her legacy carries on in her two children and husband, Michael Riordan, who was once the chief operating officer in Albuquerque. Southwest Airlines stated that Riordan was the first-in-flight death in company history.
The NTSB reported that 1 out of the 24 fan blades was missing during a preliminary investigation of the engine. There was evidence of metal fatigue where the blade typically spins at several thousand revolutions per minute. Our sources indicate that when the blade broke into a shrapnel when it detached from the fan.
It is unclear whether this incident is tied to a similar event that happened in 2016 over the Gulf of Mexico, where a Southwest Airlines flight diverted its course and conducted an emergency landing due to “uncontained engine failure.” Riordan was the first passenger killed in an accident involving a U.S. airline since 2009.
The National Transportation Safety Board is conducting a thorough investigation to determine the cause of this tragic accident. A large portion of the aircraft’s engine was missing after the plane safely reached the ground. The engine will be examined further to understand what led to its failure.
“The prayers of everyone at HWG Law Firm are with the families and friends of those killed and injured in this horrible accident. We hope those injured in the accident make a full recovery, and we hope the families of those killed able to find some answers,” said the attorneys from HWG Law Firm. Call us today at (877) 541-2111. We are here to help you.
