April 5 (UPI) — A Southwest Airlines plane bound for Las Vegas from Lubbock, Texas, returned to its gate before takeoff Thursday when the crew reported a possible engine fire.
Lubbock Fire Rescue responded to the incident with Southwest Flight 1928, which happened just before the plane took off from Lubbock Preston Smith International Airport.
Lisa Powell, a passenger on board the flight, told ABC News the plane was just about to lift off before a “thump” could be heard and the plane swerved and came to a stop.
“It didn’t seem scary. We thought a tire had blown out … but the pilot came on and said, ‘The engine had ingested something, and a flame had come out,'” Powell said.
Southwest told the Las Vegas Journal that the crew reported a “possible engine issue” and taxied the plane back to the gate using its own power.
All passengers safely exited the aircraft with no reported injuries, according to LFR.
Southwest said it was working to get passengers on another flight to Las Vegas.
“We estimate that they will arrive in Las Vegas about three hours behind schedule,” Southwest said in a statement Thursday.
The runway was closed for cleaning and inspection Thursday evening following the incident.
One day earlier, a Southwest flight made an emergency landing in Tampa Bay, Fla., after two people were injured when the plane encountered severe turbulence over the Gulf of Mexico.
