[2][5] Tammie Jo Shults, aged 56, a former United States Navy fighter pilot, was the captain of the flight.

Darren Lee Ellisor, aged 44, a former United States Air Force (1997–2007) pilot with experience in the Boeing E-3 Sentry and a veteran of the Iraq War,[7] was the first officer.

Fragments from the inlet and cowling struck the wing and fuselage and broke a window at row 14 in the passenger compartment, which caused an uncontrolled decompression of the aircraft.

The flight crew stated that the departure and climb from LaGuardia were normal, with no indications of any problems; First Officer Ellisor was the pilot flying at the time of the engine failure, and Captain Shults was monitoring.

The flight data recorder (FDR) showed that the left engine's performance parameters all dropped simultaneously, vibration became severe, and within five seconds, the cabin altitude alert activated.

The captain initially planned on a long final approach to make sure the crew completed all the emergency checklists.

[10] A spokesperson for the Philadelphia Department of Public Health stated the cause of death of the passenger was blunt force trauma to the head, neck and torso.

[14][2][5][15] The participants in the investigation included the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB),[16] the United States Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), Boeing, Southwest Airlines, GE Aviation, the Aircraft Mechanics Fraternal Association, the Southwest Airlines Pilots' Association, the Transport Workers Union of America and UTC Aerospace Systems.

[5] Because the manufacturer of the failed engine (CFM) is a US-French joint venture, the French Bureau of Enquiry and Analysis for Civil Aviation Safety also contributed investigators.

[20] Parts from the engine's nacelle were found in the predicted area at several locations near the town of Bernville in Berks County, Pennsylvania,[1] 60 miles (97 km; 52 nmi) northwest of Philadelphia.

The EAD required CFM56-7B engine fleet fan blade inspections for engines with 30,000 or greater cycles within 20 days of issuance, per the instructions provided in the service bulletin and if any crack indications were found, the affected fan blade was required to be removed from service before further flight.

[24] On the same day, European Aviation Safety Agency also issued EAD 2018-0093E[26] (superseding EASA AD 2018-0071) that required the same ultrasonic fan blade inspections to be performed.

[24] On April 23, 2018, Southwest Airlines announced that it was voluntarily going beyond the FAA EAD requirement and performing ultrasonic inspections on all CFM engines in its fleet, including two each on around 700 Boeing 737-700 and 737-800 aircraft.

[28] On May 2, 2018, the FAA issued follow-up airworthiness directive (AD) 2018-09-10, which expanded the inspections on CFM56-7B engines beyond the original EAD 2018-09-51.

[citation needed] On the day of the incident, Elaine Chao, the United States Secretary of Transportation, made a statement to "commend the pilots who safely landed the aircraft and the crew and fellow passengers who provided support and care for the injured, preventing what could have been far worse.

"[41] Shortly thereafter, Martha McSally, then a member of the United States House of Representatives from Arizona, introduced a resolution in Congress commending Captain Shults.

[42] On May 1, 2018, U.S. President Donald Trump welcomed crew members and select passengers in a ceremony at the Oval Office of the White House, thanking them all for their heroism.

[48] The incident involving Flight 1380 was featured on the fifth episode of season 21 of the Canadian documentary series Mayday, known in the United States as Air Disasters.