A separate aircraft was used to carry out the scheduled flight to Phoenix.
"We thank our flight crew for their professionalism and our customers for their patience," the spokesperon said.
Southwest and a spokesperson with the Denver International Airport did not offer additional information regarding the incident, but users took to social media to share the incident.
Following the emergency landing, several Reddit users claiming to be passengers responded to a thread asking for more information on the incident. One Reddit user said it was the most frightening 15 minutes of their life.
“At one point the plane was shifting back and forth and it felt like they were going to lose control,” Reddit user Global-Associate-290 wrote. “Watching the flight attendants in tears while directing us was something I hope I never have to go through again.”
On the thread, users recounted the takeoff complication, the emergency landing and the response from the crew.
“Then everyone was panicking including the flight attendants,” user Special-Art5846 wrote. “We were told to brace for impact and assume crash positions. The in the emergency exit were told they were likely to have to open their doors. The attendants said they had 25-30 years of experience and had never experienced something like this.”
