Tsamouris, the Fastener Specialists©
Passengers on a Southwest Airlines flight from Austin to Harlingen, Texas, in December 2015 experienced a
harrowing ordeal when a piece of the wing allegedly “fell off” during the journey. The Boeing 737, carrying
109 passengers and five crew members, was forced to make an emergency landing at San Antonio Airport.
Passenger Lorenzo Hernandez Jr. described the incident as a “near death experience,” recounting how
fasteners on the left side of the plane’s wing broke or came off, causing a panel to hang loose. He reported
that some passengers screamed to the aircrew as the plane experienced severe turbulence, with many
praying in the cabin.
Despite the frightening situation, Hernandez praised the staff and pilots for keeping calm and stabilizing the
plane. A Southwest spokesperson confirmed that the captain decided to divert the flight due to a flap track
canoe fairing appearing at an irregular angle. The aircraft landed safely without incident, and no injuries
were reported.
Another passenger, Hayden Ellis, recalled the pilot announcing over the tannoy that something had fallen off
the wing, while Clarissa Ellis mentioned that a flight attendant was alerted to the issue by a concerned
passenger.