A Southwest Airlines flight from New York to Dallas made a successful emergency landing in Philadelphia after one of the plane's engines exploded mid-flight.
Marty Martinez, a passenger on SWA flight 1380, made a split decision to spend $8 on wifi during the descent. He wanted to document on Facebook Live what he believed were his "last moments."
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Martinez said that after the sounds of the explosions, "there was chaos all around with people trying to put on their oxygen masks." He saw a gaping hole in the plane a couple of rows in front of him, and all that he could think about was accessing communication with the outside world. He believes, no one who experiences such a thing would think that, "I am going to walk away from this."
Unfortunately, when the engine exploded, debris from the engine flew in to the window, breaking it and fatally injuring passenger Jennifer Riordan. Riordan dedicated her life to philanthropy and worked hard for the role as vice president of community relations at Wells Fargo in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
Martinez states that when the plane finally landed amidst all of the horror, "everyone on the plane cheered."
The plane landed safely at Philadelphia International Airport around 11:30 am local time. Southwest Airlines issued a statement about the incident.
"Southwest Airlines flight 1380, which departed LaGuardia for Dallas Love Field (DAL), diverted to PHL because of an operational event. The plane landed safey. No slides were deployed. At this time, passengers are coming down a mobile stairway and are being bussed to the terminal. PHL Flights continue to arrive and depart but passengers should expect delays."