Mexico-bound Southwest Airlines plane's engine catches fire, video goes viral

Alyssa Foster, a spokesperson for Southwest Airlines informed that Flight 307 experienced "a mechanical issue" shortly after takeoff from Houston.

A Southwest Airlines engine caught fire while the flight was travelling from Houston in Texas to Cancun in Mexico on Tuesday. A passenger on the plane shot a video of the incident, in which flames can be seen coming out of the engine while the flight is mid air. The video of the incident went viral on social media.

Screengrab of the video(X (Formerly Twitter))

Alyssa Foster, a spokesperson for Southwest Airlines informed USA TODAY that Flight 307 experienced "a mechanical issue" shortly after takeoff from William P. Hobby Airport in Houston on Tuesday night.

Watch the video here:

Foster didn't share the exact reason behind the incident. The spokesperson informed that the flight then returned to William P. Hobby Airport and landed safely. The plane was taken out of service for review.

"We applaud the crew for their professionalism, and we appreciate our customers’ patience," said Foster.

Foster also informed that the Mexico-bound passengers were then taken to Cancun on a different plane, the same day at night.

As per reports, it was a Boeing 737

Meanwhile, the Federal Aviation Administration is now investigating the incident which caused a scare to the passengers on board.

“Just had the craziest experience on a Southwest flight! Saw flames shooting out of the engine. Thank goodness the pilot made an emergency landing,” posted one person on social media X(formerly Twitter).