A Southwest Airlines flight made an emergency landing in Jacksonville, Florida, due to a mechanical problem on Tuesday.
The Boeing 737-700, operating as Flight 756, was en route to Indianapolis International Airport (IND) from Tampa International Airport (TPA).
About 20 minutes after departure, while the plane was passing through 28,000 feet, the flight crew experienced a mechanical issue of some sort. The flight was then diverted to Jacksonville International Airport (JAX).
The flight departed TPA at 0710 and landed safely at JAX at 0758, both times local.
Reports of a Potential Fuel Leak
The diversion may have been caused by a fuel leak in one of the engines, according to media outlet News4JAX. The outlet reports that the pilots shut down the affected engine after discovering the fuel leak out of an abundance of caution. However, Southwest Airlines has not confirmed that report as of this writing.
Video taken of the scene approximately ten minutes after the plane landed shows the Boeing 737 stopped on a runway at JAX with several emergency vehicles nearby.
The carrier says it is repositioning another aircraft to Jacksonville to take the affected passengers to Indianapolis.
A Southwest Airlines spokesperson issued the following statement to News4JAX.
“Flight 756 between Tampa and Indianapolis diverted to Jacksonville earlier today to check out a potential mechanical issue. The aircraft landed safely and is out of service while being reviewed by mechanics. A different aircraft is being brought in to continue the flight to Indianapolis. We appreciate our Customers’ patience as we work to get them to their destinations as quickly as possible.”
No injuries were reported in Tuesday’s incident.
