Southwest Emergency Landing – Philadelphia – 4-17-2018

Litigation has goals far beyond compensation of accident victims. Where manufacturers and regulatory agencies have abrogated their responsibilities for safety, focused lawsuits can shine a light on overlooked deficiencies in aviation safety.

Incident report:

• Date: April 17, 2018
• Location: Philadelphia, PA
• Airline: Southwest Airlines
• Type of Aircraft: Boeing 737-700
• Type of Incident: Emergency Landing / Engine Explosion
• Total Passengers: 144 plus 5 crew
• Fatalities: 1
• Injuries: 7 reported

The deceased woman, identified as Jennifer Riordan of Albuquerque, NM, was sucked partially through the damaged window, causing her fatal injuries.

Other passengers on the aircraft made every effort to save the woman and pull her back into the cabin, but her injuries were too severe.

An additional 7 people were reported injured in the flight, which was traveling west at approximately 32,000 feet, at a speed of roughly 500 mph, at the time of the incident.

Southwest Airlines and the National Transportation Safety Board were just beginning to investigate the cause of the incident.

Photo credit: David Maialetti /The Philadelphia Inquirer via AP

Our cases against Boeing in particular, and specifically with regard to design problems in its 737 aircraft, include the representation of many clients reaching back to the crash of United Airlines flight 585, in Colorado Springs, Colorado, on March 1, 1991, and the crash of USAir flight 427 while on approach to land at Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on September 8, 1994.