Southwest flight returns to Sacramento airport due to engine issues
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (NBC, KYMA/KECY) - A Southwest Airlines flight headed from Sacramento to Denver was forced to turn around shortly after takeoff due to possible engine issues, the airline confirmed, and one passenger is sharing her experience.
Christine Buff's travel day out of the Sacramento International Airport started out normal Saturday morning. She boarded her first Southwest Airlines flight to Denver as she headed to Raleigh, North Carolina, to see her daughter and three grandchildren.
"The pilot came on as we're sitting on the runway and said that we were cleared for takeoff," Buff shared.
It was at that point when she says she noticed something was off.
"I smelled something weird. I mean, it wasn't like fresh air or anything. It smelled more like burning wires...As we're on the runway going super fast, as you normally are for takeoff, that's when it went super loud. Boom," Buff detailed.
Buff and another passenger said they saw what they thought was fire coming out of one of the engines.
"I thought at that point, this is it, but we're going down and we're going to die," Buff expressed.
Within twenty minutes of takeoff, Buff says the pilot announced they were turning back to Sacramento so mechanics could take a look at the engine.
"It's like, what do you do? There's nothing you can do. You're, what, a couple miles up in the air already...All I could think about was the plane that crashed into the helicopter. That's all I could think about this whole time when I heard that noise," Buff further expressed.
In a statement, Southwest Airlines said the flight "made a non-emergency return to Sacramento International Airport to evaluate a possible engine issue. The aircraft landed uneventfully and taxied to the terminal, where Customers were accommodated aboard another aircraft to Denver."
When we asked about the engine issue, Southwest said there was nothing notable to report.
"I just can't believe that this happened," Buff remarked.
Buff made it to Denver, but missed her connection to Raleigh. Now, she's considering other options to get to her family.
"If I could rent a car and drive, I would because I'm scared," Buff stated.
