Posted on 04/08/2024 4:44:58 AM PDT by V_TWIN
I’d say 9 out of 10 odds it’s maintenance related, not a Boeing issue.
From observing the video, the cowl fasteners were loose or unfastened, cowling was caught by the airstream and peeled off.
They were fortunate the metal skin didn’t get caught up in the slats, flaps or flight controls. Could’ve been a real challenge to the return.
There was a crew of another airline that had a rag stuck in the spoilers from maintenance, wasn’t caught (not visible) and the crew had to apply full aileron immediately after liftoff — then fly turns in only one direction to avoid loss of control, all the way through touchdown.
There is no system on a Boeing 737 with CFM 56 engines that alerts the pilots if the engine cowls are not properly latched. The cowlings that departed the aircraft are called the Fan cowls. The cowls latch to each other along the bottom edge.
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