Flight to Phoenix makes emergency landing after tire failure during ...

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Southwest Airlines employee sings to crowd during power outage

A Southwest Airlines gate agent sings to the crowd during a power outage at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport on Nov. 8, 2021.

Courtesy Zach Levetan

A Southwest Airlines flight on its way to Phoenix made an emergency landing in Denver Monday night after experiencing an emergency issue after takeoff.

Flight 225 was on its way from Denver to Phoenix around 6 p.m. when a tire failed during takeoff and caused the pilot to declare an emergency landing less than an hour after departure.

A Southwest spokesperson said the flight landed back in Denver without incident and the plane was taxied off the runway. No injuries were reported.

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A separate aircraft was used to carry out the scheduled flight to Phoenix.

"We thank our flight crew for their professionalism and our customers for their patience," the spokesperon said.

Processing a scary situation

Southwest and a spokesperson with the Denver International Airport did not offer additional information regarding the incident, but users took to social media to share about the incident.

Following the emergency landing, several Reddit users claiming to be passengers responded to a thread asking for more information on the incident. One Reddit user said it was the most frightening 15 minutes of their life.

“At one point the plane was shifting back and forth and it felt like they were going to lose control,” Reddit user Global-Associate-290 wrote. “Watching the flight attendants in tears while directing us was something I hope I never have to go through again.”

On the thread, users recounted the takeoff complication, the emergency landing and the response from the crew.

Several users described hearing a big bang shortly after takeoff. A couple of minutes later, the crew announced an emergency landing.

Getting through the panic after the emergency

“Then everyone was panicking including the flight attendants,” user Special-Art5846 wrote. “We were told to brace for impact and assume crash positions. The people in the emergency exit were told they were likely to have to open their doors. The attendants said they had 25-30 years of experience and had never experienced something like this.”

In their descriptions of the event, many users thanked the pilot and flight attendants for their handling of the situation. User Comfortable_Heat_804 described the pilot's announcements as calm and reassuring.

User 3verythingBagel_ thanked the pilot and said he was "the freaking man."

"I hope he sees how much we appreciate him and his skills to keep us all safe," they wrote. "Thank you sir, wherever you are."