Passengers aboard a Southwest Airlines flight were left terrified when the plane was forced to make an emergency landing in Colorado.
Southwest Airlines Flight 225 began preparing for an emergency landing at Denver International Airport (DEN) on June 3 after a sudden problem occurred with one of its tires during takeoff.
The Boeing 737-800 was flying to Phoenix when the plane returned to the Colorado airport 41 minutes after takeoff at 6:31 after one of the plane’s tires burst.
Some of the passengers flying to Phoenix left Denver at 10:26 that night and arrived at its destination at 11:07.
Flight officials have not reported any deaths or injuries following the landing of this flight.
Southwest Airlines Flight 225 caused an emergency at Denver International Airport after one of the plane’s tires exploded on June 3.
DEN’s Boeing 737-800, bound for Phoenix, returned to the Colorado airport 41 minutes after takeoff at 6:31
Burst tires on airplanes occur, usually due to “underinflation,” according to Popular Mechanic.
However, they can also explode for reasons such as holes, incorrect pressure, and incompatibility.
Southwest Airlines issued a statement about the incident on June 7, saying the pilots “declared an emergency prior to landing.”
The airline has not yet revealed the specific reason for the tire burst, but has thanked the flight crew for “their professionalism” and their customers for “their patience.”
The airline also rescheduled its flights for free, and other passengers who decided not to change their flight schedule received a $100 voucher to use on future airline tickets.
A passenger revealed her experience on that flight to a Colorado news station and how scared the passengers were about the emergency landing.
Southwest Airlines issued a statement about the incident on June 7, saying the pilots “declared an emergency prior to landing.”
Some of the passengers flying to Phoenix left Denver at 10:26 that night and arrived at their destination at 11:07. Others received a $100 voucher.
Passenger Julianna Donadio said 9NEWS that the plane’s tire burst sounded like “a loud bang.”
A short time later, he noticed chaos throughout the plane and that burst tires had apparently compromised its hydraulic system.
“We saw the flight attendants running around… turning on all the lights inside the plane and saying, ‘We might have an emergency landing and we have to prepare for an accident,'” he said.
“A lot of passengers were crying and screaming… There was definitely a moment where I thought, okay, I can die on this flight, and I know the other passengers around me felt the same way.”
He added that crew members and passengers were excited when they realized everything was under control.
“Everyone was shouting, clapping and cheering. And I know on some normal flights people do that. But it was very different,’ Donadio said.
“It was like a thank you, like a thank you to the flight attendants and the pilot.”
This week’s incident was not the first time a problem occurred with a Southwest Airlines plane flying out of DEN.
Southwest Airlines Flight 3695, flying from DEN to Houston in April, made an emergency landing at the airport after the engine fell out and struck the wing flap during takeoff.
Passenger Julianna Donadio told 9NEWS the plane’s tire burst sounded like “a loud bang” and scared other passengers and crew members on the flight.
The pilots made a successful emergency landing that morning, but videos of what happened inside the plane went viral.
Lisa, one of the passengers on the flight, said ABC News that the engine “came apart in the first 10 minutes.”
“We all kind of felt a bump, a jolt, and I looked out the window because I love window seats, and there it was,” she said.
Cooper Glass, a passenger on Flight 3695, also told ABC News that the entire experience was “terrifying.”
“People in the exit row in front of me started yelling at the flight attendants and showing them the damage,” he said.
Although Glass became scared during the flight, he praised the pilot, who, in his opinion, “did a great job landing.”
Daily Mail has contacted Southwest Airlines and Denver International Airport for comment.