Southwest Airlines Plane Hit by Gunfire Before Takeoff at Dallas Airport

Southwest Airlines plane prepares to land at Midway International Airport in Chicago on Feb. 12, 2023. Kiichiro Sato/AP Photo

A Southwest Airlines plane was hit by gunfire while preparing for takeoff at Dallas Love Field airport in Texas on Friday night, but no injuries were reported from the incident, according to the airline.

The Southwest Airlines flight 2494 was taxiing for departure to Indianapolis when a bullet “apparently struck the right side of the aircraft just under the flight deck,” the airline told media outlets.

The plane safely returned to the terminal at Dallas Love Field airport after the gunfire, according to the airline. It is unclear how many passengers were aboard the plane or the extent of damage to the plane.

“Southwest will accommodate our customers on another flight,” the airline said. “Law enforcement authorities have been notified and the plane has been removed from service.”

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said that the gunfire incident happened around 8.30 p.m. local time on Nov. 15, prompting the Boeing 737-800 to return to the gate, where passengers were deplaned.

The source of the gunfire and the circumstances surrounding the incident remain unclear.

The Dallas Love Field also confirmed that the Dallas Police Department has responded to “a security incident involving a commercial aircraft” at the airport. It did not identify the airline.

The runway from which the plane was departing was temporarily closed on Friday due to an investigation into the incident, but it has now been reopened, according to the airport.

“No injuries were reported, and there was minimal impact on airport operations,” the airport said in a statement posted on X, without elaborating further.

The incident happened just days after the FAA announced a ban on all civilian flights to Haiti after at least two passenger jets were struck by gunfire at the Port-au-Prince airport.

The FAA issued a Notice to Air Mission, or NOTAM, prohibiting U.S. civil aviation operations in the territory and airspace of Haiti below 10,000 feet for 30 days.

A Spirit Airlines flight sustained damage after being struck by gunfire while trying to land at Toussaint Louverture International Airport in the Haitian capital, Port-Au-Prince, on Nov. 11. The plane later diverted to the neighboring Dominican Republic, where it made a safe landing. Two other flights bound for Haiti were diverted as a precaution later that day.

In another incident, a JetBlue Airways flight returning from Port-au-Prince was discovered with bullet damage after arriving in New York on Nov. 11. JetBlue said it will extend a halt to all flights to and from Haiti through Dec. 2.

Armed gangs in Haiti’s capital reportedly have been shooting at aircraft in recent weeks as the country’s security situation deteriorates. Last month, a United Nations helicopter was hit by gunfire over Port-au-Prince.

Jack Phillips contributed to this report.