On 22 August, an Alaska Airlines Boeing 737-900 (registered N293AK) operated domestic flight AS558 between Seattle and San Diego, United States. Just after take-off from Seattle, pilots noted an “unusual vibration” on the left-hand side of the aircraft. They quickly turned around for a landing back in Seattle.
Part of the cowling, the metal panelling covering the engine, detached from the plane upon landing, according to a statement from Alaska Airlines. A passenger was able to film the incident (see Tweet at the bottom of the article).
The aircraft carried 176 passengers and 6 crew members but nobody got injured. Passengers were rescheduled on a later flight toward San Diego.
N293AK has been put out of service so the airline’s safety team can investigate the cause of the engine vibrations.