The Region : Plane Lands 1 Engine Shy

A Boeing 727 landed safely at San Diego’s Lindbergh Field 45 minutes after one of its three engines broke free of the airplane and fell to earth near Deming, N.M. Officials said American Airlines Flight 199, en route from Dallas to San Diego with 81 passengers and nine crew members, was at 35,000 feet when the pilot asked air traffic control for a lower altitude, saying one of his engines had “seized.” He was given permission to descend, and the flight continued to its destination. American Airlines spokesman Joe Stroop said the pilot was not aware until then that the engine had fallen off. “You can’t see the engine from the cockpit,” he said. Boeing Commercial Airplane Co. spokesman Tom Cole said the 727’s engines are designed to fall off to keep from damaging the airframe when they stop suddenly. Such incidents have happened “a couple of times” before, Cole said.