Jet Makes Emergency Landing After Wing Falls Off

The Daily Caller says that a jet had to make an emergency landing in Tampa, Florida, after one of its wings broke off in the air. Eagle 8 took a video of the plane landing at the airport without the tip of its left wing.

The Cessna Citation had just left Arkansas and was flying near St. Petersburg at about 27,000 feet when the accident happened, according to officials. The only person on board was the pilot. After the plane landed, emergency services were there quickly to help.

NASA says that the winglet was made in a special way to reduce induced drag. An airliner like a Boeing 707 is said to use 6.5% less fuel because of these tips on the wings.

A Southwest Airlines flight had to land in March because the cabin started to fill with smoke. There were 147 passengers and six crew members on the Boeing 737 when birds reportedly flew into the nose of the plane and damaged the engine. The plane had just left Havana, Cuba, and was headed for Florida. There were no reports of injuries.

Some people got scared when they heard a loud explosion and oxygen masks fell from the ceiling.

The plane made it back to Havana safely, and because of the smoke, the passengers had to leave through the emergency slide. They had another flight to Fort Lauderdale planned for later.

The Cuban government agency in charge of civil aviation is looking into what happened. Video shows that after the plane landed, emergency workers used a water hose to wash it down. Southwest gave CNN a statement in which they praised the pilots for taking “quick action.” They also told the passengers they were sorry for the trouble.

A representative for the airline said that they don’t have any more information about why the engine broke.