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See that hole in the photo below? It's 5 feet long by 1 foot wide and you could see the sky through it.
If you've got time for a very interesting documentary about construction flaws in the popular Boeing 737, here is a link to a replay of a 60-Minutes type report:
After Scare, Southwest Grounds Planes
By ELIZABETH A. HARRIS
Southwest Airlines grounded 79 airplanes on Saturday after a piece of the fuselage on one of its Boeing 737s ripped open during a flight the day before, leaving a hole in the cabin ceiling and rapidly depressurizing the aircraft.
“We’re taking them out of service to inspect them over the next few days,†Whitney Eichinger, a Southwest spokeswoman, said Saturday. She said they would be “looking for the same type of aircraft skin fatigue.â€
In a news release, Southwest announced that it would cancel about 300 flights on Saturday because of inspections, and that customers should expect delays of up to two hours.
“The safety of our customers and employees is our primary concern,†Mike Van de Ven, Southwest’s chief operating officer, said in a statement. “We are working closely with Boeing to conduct these proactive inspections and support the investigation.â€
The Southwest plane, a 15-year old Boeing 737-300, was cruising at 35,000 feet on its way to Sacramento from Phoenix on Friday afternoon when passengers heard an explosion. The Associated Press reported that one woman described it as “gunshotlike.â€
The plane’s oxygen masks were released, and two people, a passenger and a flight attendant, passed out as the pilot descended to make an emergency landing at Yuma Marine Corps Air Station in Arizona."