On August 27, 2016, about 0930 central daylight time, a Boeing 737-700, operating as Southwest Airlines flight 3472 enroute from New Orleans, Louisiana, to Orlando, Florida, experienced an uncontained engine failure and cabin depressurization while climbing through flight level 310. None of the 99 passengers and 5 crewmembers onboard were injured and the airplane sustained substantial damage. The flight crew declared an emergency and diverted to Pensacola International Airport (PNS), Pensacola, Florida.
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A low-cycle fatigue crack in the dovetail of fan blade No. 23, which resulted in the fan blade separating in flight and impacting the fan case. This impact caused the fan blade to fracture into fragments that traveled farther than expected into the inlet, which compromised the structural integrity of the inlet and led to the in-flight separation of inlet components. A portion of the inlet struck the fuselage and created a hole, causing the cabin to depressurize.
