Southwest Airlines Flight 2294
Encyclopedia
Southwest Airlines
Flight 2294 (SWA 2294, WN 2294) was a scheduled US passenger aircraft
flight which made an emergency landing
at Yeager Airport
(CRW) in Charleston, West Virginia, on July 13, 2009, after what was described as a "football sized" opening in the airplane's fuselage
caused rapid depressurization of the passenger cabin.
N387SW. It was traveling at 34,000 feet on a scheduled flight between Nashville, Tennessee
(KBNA), and Baltimore, Maryland (KBWI). The accident was investigated by the Federal Aviation Administration
and the National Transportation Safety Board
.
Earlier criticism of the carrier's lax maintenance and inspection practices, for which the airline had been fined $7.5 million in 2008, was quickly echoed. An NTSB spokesman said the hole was limited to 14 by 17 inches by the design of the aircraft.
The NTSB investigation into the incident confirmed that metal fatigue
was the cause of the crack; specifically, that the damage was caused by pre-existing fatigue cracks that began at the edge of metal sheets on the inner surface of the aircraft's skin.
Southwest Airlines
Southwest Airlines Co. is an American low-cost airline based in Dallas, Texas. Southwest is the largest airline in the United States, based upon domestic passengers carried,...
Flight 2294 (SWA 2294, WN 2294) was a scheduled US passenger aircraft
Aircraft
An aircraft is a vehicle that is able to fly by gaining support from the air, or, in general, the atmosphere of a planet. An aircraft counters the force of gravity by using either static lift or by using the dynamic lift of an airfoil, or in a few cases the downward thrust from jet engines.Although...
flight which made an emergency landing
Emergency landing
An emergency landing is a landing made by an aircraft in response to a crisis which either interferes with the operation of the aircraft or involves sudden medical emergencies necessitating diversion to the nearest airport.-Types of emergency landings:...
at Yeager Airport
Yeager Airport
Yeager Airport is a public-use airport located three nautical miles east of the central business district of Charleston, a city in Kanawha County, West Virginia, United States. It is owned by the Central West Virginia Regional Airport Authority...
(CRW) in Charleston, West Virginia, on July 13, 2009, after what was described as a "football sized" opening in the airplane's fuselage
Fuselage
The fuselage is an aircraft's main body section that holds crew and passengers or cargo. In single-engine aircraft it will usually contain an engine, although in some amphibious aircraft the single engine is mounted on a pylon attached to the fuselage which in turn is used as a floating hull...
caused rapid depressurization of the passenger cabin.
Incident
The aircraft involved was Boeing 737-3H4Boeing 737
The Boeing 737 is a short- to medium-range, twin-engine narrow-body jet airliner. Originally developed as a shorter, lower-cost twin-engine airliner derived from Boeing's 707 and 727, the 737 has developed into a family of nine passenger models with a capacity of 85 to 215 passengers...
N387SW. It was traveling at 34,000 feet on a scheduled flight between Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
(KBNA), and Baltimore, Maryland (KBWI). The accident was investigated by the Federal Aviation Administration
Federal Aviation Administration
The Federal Aviation Administration is the national aviation authority of the United States. An agency of the United States Department of Transportation, it has authority to regulate and oversee all aspects of civil aviation in the U.S...
and the National Transportation Safety Board
National Transportation Safety Board
The National Transportation Safety Board is an independent U.S. government investigative agency responsible for civil transportation accident investigation. In this role, the NTSB investigates and reports on aviation accidents and incidents, certain types of highway crashes, ship and marine...
.
Earlier criticism of the carrier's lax maintenance and inspection practices, for which the airline had been fined $7.5 million in 2008, was quickly echoed. An NTSB spokesman said the hole was limited to 14 by 17 inches by the design of the aircraft.
The NTSB investigation into the incident confirmed that metal fatigue
Metal Fatigue
Metal Fatigue , is a futuristic science fiction, real-time strategy computer game developed by Zono Incorporated and published by Psygnosis and TalonSoft .-Plot:...
was the cause of the crack; specifically, that the damage was caused by pre-existing fatigue cracks that began at the edge of metal sheets on the inner surface of the aircraft's skin.
External links
- Southwest Airlines information regarding Flight 2294, official blog