On Sunday, a Southwest Airlines Boeing 737 was forced to make an emergency landing in Cuba following bird strikes. The aircraft was taking off when the bird strike occurred and returned safely to the airport, where passengers exited the aircraft via emergency slides.

This is what happened

To get the most accurate and up-to-date information available, Simple Flying reached out to Southwest Airlines, who immediately replied with the following:

"Southwest flight #3923 departing Havana, Cuba, for Fort Lauderdale, Florida on Sunday morning reportedly experienced bird strikes to an engine and the aircraft's nose shortly after takeoff. The Pilots safely returned to Havana, where Customers evacuated the aircraft via slides due to the observation of smoke in the cabin. The Customers and Crew were bussed to the terminal and will be accommodated on another flight to Fort Lauderdale. We commend the swift, professional actions of our Pilots and Flight Attendants in responding to this event. We apologize to our Customers for the inconvenience and have reached out to offer support."

According to Flightradar24.com, flight WN3923 was operated by a five-month-old Boeing 737 MAX 8, registration N8792Q and MSN 67774. The tracking data on Flightradar24 is incomplete, but on March 5th, the flight was scheduled to depart Havana Jose Marti Airport (HAV) at 11:55 for the short hop to Fort Lauderdale Hollywood Airport (FLL) where it was due to arrive at 13:10.

While the incident was handled quickly and professionally by the Southwest crew, explosion-like sounds, oxygen masks, and smoke in the cabin would have made for a terrifying experience for many onboard. Here's what one passenger posted on Twitter:

Another official comment came from the Corporación de la Aviación Cubana, which, according to Airlive.net, said:

"At 12:05 pm today at the Jose Marti International Airport in Havana, the Boeing 737 aircraft of the Southwest airline (SWA3923) bound for Fort Lauderdale, during the takeoff process, it detected failures in one of its engines, following the established procedure, its landing at the Havana Airport was authorized. The passengers were evacuated and are in good condition. The causes of the incident are being investigated."

A well-handled incident

The final comment came from an airport source who confirmed that the aircraft landed in the area of the runway closest to Terminal 3 and that:

"Firefighters and ambulances have arrived, but no details are yet known, the entire place is cordoned off."

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Flightradar24 information shows it was the 737-8s first rotation of the day, departing Fort Lauderdale at 09:56 with a scheduled arrival in Havana at 10:50, although that is listed as 'unknown' on the tracking data. The previous day was also not all that busy, with N8792Q starting from Chicago (ORD) at 06:40 with a flight to Phoenix (PHX), followed by a flight to Buffalo (BUF) before its final trip of the day to Fort Lauderdale (FLL), arriving at 20:30 for the overnight stop.

No passengers were seriously injured in the incident, a risk given the use of evacuation slides, and are being accommodated by Southwest.

Have you ever been involved in a bird strike? Let us know in the comments.

Sources: Airlive.net, Flightradar24.com

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  Southwest Airlines

  IATA/ICAO Code:

  WN/SWA

  Airline Type:

  Low-Cost Carrier

  Hub(s):

  Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport, Dallas Love Field, Denver International Airport, Harry Reid International Airport, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, Houston Hobby Airport, Los Angeles International Airport, Midway International Airport, Oakland International Airport, Orlando International Airport, Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport

  Year Founded:

  1967

  CEO:

  Robert Jordan

  Country:

  United States