Alaska Airlines emergency as terrified passengers hear loud 'bang' when Boeing 737 engine fails mid-air

An Oakland-bound Alaska Airlines was forced to make an emergency return to Seattle after one of its Boeing 737 engines failed mid-flight.

Alaska Airlines flight 1240 left Seattle's Sea-Tac Airport at around 12:22 p.m. PST en route to Oakland’s San Francisco Bay Oakland International Airport. A passenger described hearing a loud “piercing bang” shortly after takeoff on Sunday, August 25.

The crew investigated the noise and identified a “possible engine issue.” The flight was forced to return to Seattle and landed back at Sea-Tac Airport at around 1:30 p.m. Flight tracker data confirmed the plane was in the air for less than 30 minutes.

• Boeing Starliner astronauts could be stuck in space for eight months as NASA confirms no return date set

• Boeing accused of using planes built with 'counterfeit' metals as troubles continue to mount

Alaska Airlines said that the plane was forced to return to Seattle because of a left engine shutdown. “Credit to the crew for following standard procedures for this situation and landing safely without incident,” said the airline in a statement.

"We worked to take care of our guests and accommodate their travel to Oakland yesterday afternoon, and we apologize for the inconvenience.” This incident joins a long line of malfunctions that have plagued the airplane manufacturer Boeing in the last year.

Back in January, a door plug blew off mid-flight on an Alaska Airlines flight causing the plane to make an emergency landing. The incident in January coupled with two deadly crashes, both involving Boeing’s 737-Max, caused the FAA to immediately ground all 737-Max planes.

The FAA is pursuing “aggressive oversight” of the company, it is unclear how Sunday’s incident will affect that effort. In the last year, Boeing has seen its stock price drop 30% year-to-date.

• United Boeing 777 makes emergency landing after mid-air fuel leak in fifth safety incident in a week

• Delta Boeing 757 loses tire moments before takeoff as pilot sends out chilling message

The company recently accepted a $243.6 million plea deal last month to avoid a criminal stemming from two separate Boeing 737 Max crashes, one in October 2018 and the other in March 2019.