Southwest Flight with Broken Window Makes Unscheduled Landing Two Weeks After Deadly Incident

A cracked window caused a Southwest Airlines flight carrying 76 passengers from Chicago to Newark, New Jersey to make an unscheduled landing in Cleveland on Wednesday, PEOPLE can confirm

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Published on May 2, 2018 03:40 PM

A cracked window caused a Southwest Airlines flight carrying 76 passengers from Chicago to Newark, New Jersey, to make an unscheduled landing in Cleveland on Wednesday, PEOPLE can confirm.

The incident comes two weeks after a female passenger on a Southwest flight died when an engine explosion blew out her window and she was partially sucked out of the plane.

The Federal Aviation Administration told PEOPLE through a spokesperson that they will investigate what caused the window to crack on Wednesday’s flight. The Boeing 737 “landed without incident around 11 a.m. ET,” they said.

Since there was no depressurization in the cabin, oxygen masks were not deployed and an emergency was not declared, Southwest Airlines wrote in a tweet — explaining that “there are multiple layers of panes in each aircraft window.” They said the aircraft “has been taken out of service for maintenance review” and that employees at Cleveland Hopkins International Airport were accommodating the stranded passengers on new flights to Newark.

“The safety of our customers and employees is our number one focus each and every day,” they added.

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Passengers aboard shared photos of the broken window.

“Window broke mid flight to Newark from Chicago,” one wrote, with the hashtag #WhatsGoingOn.

“@SouthwestAir has a serious problem with their fleet,” tweeted Ryan Holley, sharing a photo his mom Linda sent him from the plane. “My mom’s plane just had to divert and land in #Cleveland cuz of another window crack.”

RELATED VIDEO: Woman Nearly Sucked Out of Plane After Engine Explosion Blows Out Window on Southwest Flight

On April 17, Southwest passenger Jennifer Riordan, a bank executive and mother of two from New Mexico, died after she was partially sucked through the window of a plane window that was blown out when an engine exploded about 20 minutes into the flight. The plane was en route from from LaGuardia Airport in New York to Dallas.

The harrowing incident was witnessed by passengers on the plane including Max Kraidelman, 20, who told the New York Times, “The top half of her torso was out the window. There was a lot of blood because she was hit by some of the shrapnel coming off the engine after it exploded.”

Witnesses reported that Riordan went into cardiac arrest and passenger Kristopher Johnson said passengers and crew members did “everything they could to revive her.”

Flight 1380 eventually made an emergency landing in Philadelphia. Riordan’s family released a statement soon after that said, “Jennifer’s vibrancy, passion and love infused our community and reached across our country. Her impact on everything and everyone she touched can never be fully measured.But foremost, she is the bedrock of our family. She and Mike wrote a love story unlike any other. Her beauty and love is evident through her children.”

In a video message, Southwest Airlines CEO Gary Kelly also shared his condolences.

“On behalf of the Southwest family, I want to extend my deepest sympathies for the family and the loved ones of our deceased customer,” Southwest CEO Gary Kelly said. “They are our immediate and primary concern and we will do all that we can to support them during this difficult time.”