Southwest Airlines jet engine catches fire before taking off from Texas

DALLAS (AP) — Federal officials are investigating a reported engine fire that forced a Southwest Airlines plane to cancel takeoff and return to the gate at the Lubbock, Texas, airport on Thursday.

Southwest said Friday that pilots “received an indication of a possible engine issue,” and the Boeing 737 taxied back to the terminal at Lubbock Preston Smith International Airport.

The Lubbock fire department said online that it confirmed there was a fire in one of the two engines that needed to be extinguished.

The Federal Aviation Administration said it was investigating the incident.

The flight was headed to Las Vegas with 154 passengers and crew of six on board, Southwest said. The airline flew in a replacement plane from Dallas to complete the trip later Thursday night.

The plane was a Boeing 737-800, an older model than the 737 Max. The engines are made by CFM International, a joint venture between General Electric and France’s Safran S.A.

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