Here's what happened on fatal Southwest Airlines flight
Southwest Airlines Flight 1380 took off from LaGuardia Airport in New York Tuesday morning at 10:43 am. The flight was headed for Love Field in Dallas, Texas before continuing on to New Orleans, Louisiana.
Around 11:03 am while flying at 32,500 ft and 496 mph over Eastern Pennsylvania, the left engine on the 737 failed.
The violent event caused the front cowling of the engine to disintegrate, firing shrapnel into the fuselage of the aircraft.
The explosive force of the engine failure pushes the jet to bank sharply to the left. Captain Tammie Jo Shults and First Officer Darren Ellisor soon regain control of the plane.
Unfortunately, Riordan, a 43-year-old mother of two died from trauma to her head, neck, and torso in spite her fellow passengers' efforts to resuscitate her. The NTSB confirmed that Riordan was wearing her seatbelt at the time of the incident.
The stricken Boeing 737 lands in Philadelphia at 11:23 am. According to the NTSB, the damage to the aircraft forced the crew to use an alternative flap setting to improve controllability. However, this also forced the plane to land at 190 mph, about 35mph faster than a normal landing.
Passengers exit the aircraft via airstairs and are transported to the terminal.
At 3:00 pm, NTSB chairman Robert Sumwalt announces a team of investigators are heading to Philadelphia. Sumwalt also confirms Riordan's death. Although, her identity would not be made public until a few hours later.
At 4:30 pm, NTSB investigators arrive on the scene. The aircraft's cockpit voice and flight data recorders are recovered and sent back to Washington D.C. for analysis. Investigators also conduct a preliminary evaluation off the engine.
At 5:21 pm, Southwest Airlines CEO Gary Kelly issues a video message expressing his condolences and support for Riordan's family.
At 9:00 pm, NTSB chairman Sumwalt announces at a press conference that fan blade #13 of 24 broke, snapping off near the central hub. Investigators found evidence of metal fatigue in the area where the blade failed.
In addition, the NTSB located parts of the engine cowling 60 miles north of Philadelphia.
During the press conference, Sumwalt announces that Southwest will use ultrasonic technology to inspect its entire fleet of CFM56-powered jets.
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