Dramatic Photo Shows Engine Damage to Southwest Flight Forced to Divert

A Southwest Airlines flight traveling from New Orleans to Orlando was forced to divert on Saturday after a mechanical issue with an engine, the airline said in a statement.

The captain of flight #3472 landed the plane at Pensacola International Airport around 9:40 a.m. Initial reports indicate there were no injuries to the 99 passengers and five crew members on board the Boeing Co. 737.

The NTSB said it is investigating the incident with the airline that experienced, "uncontained engine failure."

According to Bloomberg, "in an uncontained failure, debris escapes the hardened engine casing and can damage or penetrate the wings or fuselage, amplifying the risk to the aircraft far beyond the loss of thrust."

In a statement to the Wall Street Journal, a Boeing spokesperson said the company would serve as a technical adviser for any inquiry and is “working closely with our customer and CFM to understand the issue.”

The Southwest Airlines pilots union tweeted a photo of the engine mid-air that showed the engine exposed.

"We have notified the NTSB, and when authorized, we will be inspecting the aircraft to assess the damage," Southwest said.

The airline said it was working with passengers to get them to Orlando or their final destination as soon as possible.

Image of Southwest Air plane at SJC viaBill Abbott/Flickr