A Southwest Airlines flight made an emergency landing Saturday, after one of its engines exploded over the Gulf of Mexico.
The Boeing 737-700, registration N766SW, had just taken off from New Orleans, en route to Orlando, when its left engine came apart in flight as it was climbing, about 80 nautical miles northwest of Pensacola, Fla.
According to aviation website aeroinside.com, the front section of the engine separated, causing debris to impact and puncture the fuselage.
The airliner lost cabin pressure, but made an emergency landing at Pensacola with 99 passengers and five crew on board.
No one was injured in the incident, but the aircraft suffered substantial damage. Passenger photos from the flight show the front cowl of the engine ripped completely off.
The aircraft was met by emergency services on the tarmac.
The National Transportation Safety Board has launched an investigation and reported: "NTSB investigating incident involving a Southwest Airline fight that experienced uncontained engine failure."
The Southwest Airlines Pilots' Association noted: "A great job today by our professional SouthwestAir pilots! The best safety device is always a well-trained pilot."
A replacement aircraft was dispatched to Pensacola and reached Orlando with a delay of five hours.
There is no word yet on what may have caused the engine failure.