Created Monday, Dec 4th 2023 17:38Z, last updated Monday, Dec 4th 2023 17:38Z
A Southwest Airlines Boeing 737-700, registration N7820L performing flight
WN-1822 from El Paso,TX to Dallas Love,TX (USA) with 114 people on board, departed El Paso's runway 26L and was in the initial climb when still on tower frequency the crew reported they thought they had blown a tyre on departure and requested a runway inspection, but they wanted to continue their flight. The aircraft continued the climb but stopped the climb at 17,000 feet and entered a hold while waiting for a runway status. The flight crew subsequently reported the flight attendants told them they most likely hit some sort of wildlife. About 20 minutes after the runway inspection had been initiated and after tower sending a second vehicle out it was still unclear whether there was any tyre debris on the runway. Finally tower reported that it did not appear there was any tyre debris on the runway however some 9 bird carcasses were found on the runway. The position of the carcass on the runway was consistent with the position of the aircraft during rotation for takeoff. The crew decided to return to El Paso, declared emergency, requested emergency services to inspect the aircraft after landing for any damage and landed safely on runway 22 about 45 minutes after departure.
A replacement Boeing 737-8 MAX registration N8838Q reached Dallas with a delay of about 5 hours.
The occurrence aircraft remained on the ground for about 40.5 hours before returning to service.
Related Flight:
WN1822,
Southwest Airlines News
