Southwest Airlines plane
By Victory Oghene
A Southwest Airlines plane was struck by a bullet moments before its scheduled takeoff from Dallas Love Field airport in Texas, United States, on Friday night.
According to Times of India, the flight was bound for Indianapolis but returned to the gate following the frightening ordeal and passengers deplaned.
A gunman was believed to have shoot the airplane.
A spokesperson for Southwest said all passengers and crew members were evacuated safely and no injuries were reported. Dallas police are currently investigating the shooting incident.
“Southwest Airlines Flight 2494 was set to depart for Indianapolis when a bullet apparently struck the right side of the plane, just below the flight deck, as the crew was preparing for takeoff,” said the Southwest spokesperson.
Police officers in Dallas arrived at the airport to investigate the shooting incident at approximately 9:50 pm.
This incident follows recent events in Haiti, where gangs fired upon three aircraft at or near Port-au-Prince airport, leading the Federal Aviation Administration to implement a 30-day restriction on US airlines operating in the troubled Caribbean nation.
On Monday, several bullets hit a Spirit Airlines aircraft during its landing approach at Toussaint Louverture International Airport.
In that incident, a flight attendant sustained a grazing wound from gunfire, necessitating the aircraft’s diversion to an airport in the Dominican Republic.
