Local Firefighter Talks About Horrifying Ordeal Aboard Distressed Southwest Airlines Flight

UPDATED: 9:19AM

At the Celina Fire Department a fireman is being hailed a hero for his efforts on a distressed Southwest flight Tuesday. Andrew Needum was emotional as he recalled the horrifying moments after an engine exploded. He had been traveling with his wife, two kids and his parents when an engine exploded, breaking a window on the plane and sucking a woman out.

He told reporters this morning, he heard a pop like everyone else and proceeded to put on the oxygen masks which had dropped from overhead. He also said he heard a commotion in the back of the plane, looked at his wife across the isle and said she appeared to give him the okay to walk back there.

“I felt the calling to get up and do something, stand up and act. I’m no different than any other firefighter in this country. For some reason, whatever reason that is, it was me that day.”

He and other passenger pulled the woman, identified as Jennifer Riordon of New Mexico back in. Needum proceeded to administer CPR; her head injuries however, were fatal.

The Celina Fire Department is going to honor one of their own this morning for his efforts in helping the woman who died on a Southwest flight earlier this week. More later on @WBAP247NEWS & @570KLIF Read about it here: https://t.co/UyOKv8g16v pic.twitter.com/iT3L80DjsZ

— Scott Sidway (@ScottyWK) April 19, 2018

Original post:

Celina, TX (WBAP/KLIF) – The Celina Fire Department is praising one of its own, firefighter Andrew Needum who rushed to the aid of the woman sucked out of a Southwest Airlines plane Tuesday. Andrew was sitting near the woman – 43-year old Jennifer Riordon of New Mexico – when an engine exploded, shattering the window at her seat.

Needum and another passenger, Tim McGinty sprung into action to pull the woman back inside the plane.

McGinty told the Daily Mirror:

“When we saw the window was gone somebody saw the lady out of the window so just tried to get her back in and wasn’t strong enough,” McGinty told reporters afterward. “A fireman from Celina, Texas, jumped in there and helped and between the two of us we were able to get her back in.”

Needum then performed CPR, but unfortunately her injuries were fatal.