National Transportation Safety Board
Washington, DC 20594
July 14, 2009
NTSB SENDS INVESTIGATORS TO SCENE OF AN AVIATION ACCIDENT IN WEST VIRGINIA AND RAILROAD ACCIDENT IN IOWA
The National Transportation Safety Board is dispatching investigators to investigate a Southwest Airlines jet after it made an emergency landing in West Virginia yesterday after a hole opened in the body of the plane and the cabin lost pressure.
At 6:07 PM EDT, a Southwest flight 2294, 737-300 (N387SW), from Nashville headed to Baltimore Washington International Airport experienced rapid decompression. The crew declared an emergency & landed at Charleston, West Virginia. On examination, a 1 ft hole was discovered in the top of the fuselage. There were no injuries reported.
Senior Aviation investigator Bob Benzon will lead the team.
The Safety Board is also sending an investigator to investigate a railroad accident that occurred in Iowa this morning.
At 2:10 AM CDT, in Bettendorf, IA, a Dakota Minnesota & Eastern Railroad freight train struck a group of cars in a rail yard after crossing through a switch that was not lined for the main line, derailing 8 cars and 2 locomotives. Two crewmembers were fatally injured.
Russ Gober will serve as Investigator-in-Charge.
Media Contact: Peter Knudson (202) 314-6100
peter.knudson@ntsb.gov