Southwest Air Flight Diverted After Uncontained Engine Failure

(Bloomberg) -- A Southwest Airlines Co. flight was forced to make an emergency landing after the cabin lost pressure due to what federal investigators called a rare uncontained engine failure.

Flight 3472 from New Orleans to Orlando, Florida, was diverted to Pensacola International Airport in Florida because of an unknown mechanical issue with its No. 1 engine, a spokesman said in an e-mailed statement.

The flight landed without incident, at 9:40 a.m. central time Saturday. The are no indications of injuries among the 99 passengers and five crew members on board, the spokesman said.

The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board said in a Twitter posting that it is investigating. In an uncontained failure, debris escapes the hardened engine casing and can damage or penetrate the wings or fuselage.

Southwest notified the safety board of the incident and, when authorized, will inspect the plane to assess the damage. The aircraft is out of service, and the airline said it is working to get the passengers to Orlando or their final destination as soon as possible.

To contact the reporter on this story: Kiel Porter in New York at kporter17@bloomberg.net. To contact the editors responsible for this story: Elizabeth Fournier at efournier5@bloomberg.net, Bernard Kohn, Stephen West