[holtjv]

By Kevin Cokely
KXAS/NBC News Channel

DALLAS, TX -- Southwest flight 438 left Love Field for Little Rock at 2:30 in the afternoon on November 17th but encountered a serious problem just a half hour later at 25,000 feet.

Brandy King, a spokeswoman for Southwest Airlines says "our pilot did notice a vibration in right engine. He followed procedures and shut down that engine and land the aircraft back at Dallas Love Field"

Pictures taken after the 737 landed back in Dallas show the extent of the damage, a huge hole in the panel around the right engine.

Brandy King says "we don't know the cause at this time. We are investigating that along with the NTSB. All we do know is that there was damage to the exterior fan blades and there was a puncture in the acoustic panel that helps reduce the noise of the engine."

In a letter sent three days later to the 133 passengers on board, Southwest explains, "The fan blades on the front of the engine were damaged, and rattled around the engines intake area", puncturing the acoustical cover.

Brandy King says, "Our engine did not catch fire to my knowledge. There was not a loss of pressurization. The atmosphere on the aircraft was calm. The crew members were continuously updating the passengers with what was happening so they were very well communicated with."

Federal investigators now have parts of the engine and the flight recorder trying to figure out what happened. They don't believe a bird strike is to blame for the damage on the flight.