Southwest 737 Lands With ‘Football-size” Hole in Fuselage

Passengers on a Southwest Airlines flight from Nashville to Baltimore on Monday were jolted by a loss of cabin pressure caused by a one-foot-square hole in the upper fuselage. Passenger oxygen masks deployed, the crew initiated an emergency descent and diverted to Yeager Airport in Charleston, West Virginia where the Boeing 737 landed uneventfully. No one was injured. One passenger told reporters the pilot walked through the cabin after the landing to inspect the hole, receiving applause from passengers and a few hugs. Southwest initiated a fleet wide inspection before returning all its 737s to service the next day.