Local Southwest fliers react to deadly incident

By John Krinjak

Email: jkrinjak@abc6.com

Twitter: @johnkrinjakABC6

WARWICK, R.I. (WLNE) — Rhode Islanders were flying Southwest Airlines into TF Green Wednesday, just a day after an engine exploded on Southwest flight 1380.

Investigators now saying that engine showed signs of metal fatigue, as they go through pieces of it found 60 miles away from the Philadelphia airport where the plane made an emergency landing.

Debris from that explosion shattered Jennifer Riordan’s window. Riordan died after witnesses say she was almost sucked out of the plane.

"Very sad. Very sad. But that was, i think the first incident they’ve ever had with that in all the years," said Dottie Gorton of Cranston.

This was southwest’s first-ever passenger fatality, but not the first time a fan blade detached from an engine on one of its planes.

"A little nervous. A little unsure and uncertain about what was going on. If it could happen to that flight it could happen to us. Not too afraid," said Eric Shields of Warwick. "Did not mention it to my wife. I didn’t want her to get nervous before we got on the plane, so I kept it to myself. Now that we’re here and landed I’ll tell her, but everything was good."

Despite the extra nerves, folks I spoke to say they still feel safe when flying Southwest.

"No, I don’t think it changes anything. I think overall they’ll probably crack down or more secure measures, make sure it doesn’t happen again kind of thing," said Shields.

"Pretty much all we fly is Southwest," said Dottie Gorton. 

Dottie Gorton says that won’t change anytime soon, but her husband Tom did make some changes to his pre-flight routine.

"I was kind of concerned at first given that i don’t like to fly. But i took a couple more Xanax and I’m all set," said Tom Gorton. 

Southwest is cooperating with the federal probe.

Investigators will now try to learn whether there’s a bigger problem with 737 engines in general.

© WLNE-TV/ABC6 2018