Video Captures Boeing 737 Engine Cover Breaking Away During Takeoff

A Boeing 737 had to quickly brake when the plane’s engine looked like it was starting to fall apart … and the whole ordeal was caught on video.

The Southwest Airlines flight, heading from Denver to Houston, took off Sunday morning … when some of the passengers noticed a piece of metal ripped off the side of the plane and flapped around as the plane began its takeoff.

Check out the video … the engine cowling covering the sides of the giant turbine flies up, seemingly only held together by a few strands of stray metal — at first, not slowing down the jet one bit.

However, once the piece breaks away and flies off, the pilots slowly rolled the plane to a halt with the turbine almost completely exposed.

Southwest tells TMZ … the passengers onboard got off the plane safely and boarded another aircraft — landing in Houston about three hours after their original estimated arrival time. The airline says it’s looking into the mechanical failure.

This is just the latest in a series of mechanical headaches Boeing’s facing … remember, just last month a United Airlines Boeing 777 lost a tire right as it took off, smashing several cars below.

And, of course, the door of a different plane blew out during one flight, forcing the 737 Max 9 to make an emergency landing in Portland … so, this latest issue seems more of the recent same for the plane-producing giant.