Videos show flames from engine of plane that returned to Houston airport after takeoff

HOUSTON (AP) — A Southwest Airlines plane that had flames shooting out of an engine returned to a Houston airport about 30 minutes after takeoff this week.

The Boeing 737 had been bound for Cancun International Airport in Mexico on Tuesday but returned to William P. Hobby Airport. Videos showed the flames coming from one of its engines.

“We felt like a little air pocket going up. And then I heard the boom ... and then you started smelling kind of the fuel,” passenger Jordan Kleinecke told ABC News.

The Dallas-based airline said the plane experienced a “mechanical issue” shortly after takeoff. It landed safely and was taken out of service for review.

A different plane took the passengers on to Cancun, the airline said.