Alaska Airlines Boeing flight returns to airport following engine issue

An Alaska Airlines flight bound for Oakland, California, from Seattle had to turn around Sunday afternoon following an engine issue, according to reports. 

Alaska Airlines Flight 1240, operated on a Boeing 737-700 according to flight tracking website FlightAware, took off from Seattle-Tacoma International Airport at 12:24 Pacific Daylight Time. In just over an hour, it returned.

A statement from Alaska Airlines to FOX Business said the turnaround was due to "a shutdown of the #1 engine on the left side of the aircraft."

"It almost felt like when you run over something with a car," passenger Dabney Lawless told local TV station KIRO. Her 13-year-old son saw smoke outside the plane, and she noticed people on the plane reaching out to loved ones.

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"My son was definitely telling me that he loved me and that [I] was a good mom, and it was very much preparing for a potential crash but also knowing well, it could be okay," she said. 

Boeing did not immediately respond to a FOX Business inquiry.

"We worked to take care of our guests and accommodate their travel to Oakland yesterday afternoon, and we apologize for the inconvenience," Alaska Airlines statement read. 

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The Federal Aviation Administration will investigate what happened. 

A different aircraft got passengers to Oakland later in the evening, FlightAware shows. 

Alaska Airlines is in the process of trying to merge with Hawaiian Airlines. 

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The company made headlines earlier this year when a Boeing 737-9 MAX door plug blowout occurred during one of their flights in January. 

Earlier this summer, Boeing was rebuked by the NTSB for sharing details about the investigation into the matter during a media briefing by Elizabeth Lund, senior vice president of quality for Boeing commercial airplanes. She is also chair of the Enterprise Quality Operations Council.