Gunshot hits Southwest airlines plane at Dallas Love Field

A Southwest Airlines plane was hit by a bullet on Friday night while getting ready for takeoff at Dallas Love Field Airport in Texas. Luckily, no one was injured in the incident.

The police received a call about a shooting at 9:48 p.m. at 8008 Herb Keller Way. After investigating, they confirmed that a bullet struck the right side of the plane. 

The aircraft was preparing to leave when it was hit. The bullet hit just below the flight deck, but no passengers or crew were harmed.

The flight, Southwest Airlines flight 2494, was about to leave Dallas for Indianapolis. After the plane was hit, the crew decided to taxi the plane back to the terminal. The plane was then taken out of service for further inspection, and the passengers were moved to another flight.

A spokesperson for Southwest Airlines said the plane was hit while the crew was getting ready for takeoff. 

They also said the aircraft was checked and removed from service to ensure safety. No one was injured during the incident, and there was no major impact on airport operations.

Dallas Love Field Airport shared a statement on X (formerly known as Twitter), confirming the shooting incident. They said that police responded to the situation and that the runway where the plane was hit was briefly closed. However, it was reopened soon after, and the situation did not cause major delays.

The police are still looking for the person who shot the plane. The incident is under investigation, and no arrests have been made yet. Authorities have not given any further details about the suspect.

This was not the only incident involving Southwest Airlines on Friday. Another Southwest flight, this time from Denver International Airport, was evacuated due to a small fire. The fire started after a passenger’s cellphone battery ignited. 

The flight, a Boeing 737-700, was still parked at the gate when the fire started. There were about 800 passengers onboard, but the fire was quickly contained. One passenger was injured during the evacuation, and the person whose phone caused the fire was treated for burns.

Southwest Airlines said they were working to help the affected passengers and get them on a different flight to their original destination, Houston. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is investigating the fire.

In response to both incidents, Southwest Airlines released a statement saying that the safety of its customers and crew is their top priority. The airline assured passengers that both incidents would be fully investigated.

Earlier this year, the FAA began an audit of Southwest Airlines after several safety concerns, including an incident where a plane descended dangerously close to the water while approaching Tampa International Airport. In addition, Southwest announced in July that it would be ending its open seating policy to improve customer experience and financial performance.

The FAA is also investigating another incident that took place on Wednesday. An American Airlines flight had to quickly climb to avoid hitting mountains while flying over Hawaii.