Southwest passenger's torso was sucked out of plane after engine explosion busted open aircraft window

Mark Makela / Reuters

An audio recording obtained by NBC contains an exchange in which the flight's pilot says she was told a passenger "went out" of the aircraft while it was in the air.

• A passenger on Southwest Airlines Flight 1380 had the top half of her torso sucked out of a window on Tuesday, The New York Times reported.
• According to passenger Max Kraidelman, other passengers and flight attendants were able to pull the woman back into the aircraft.
• Kraidelman said another passenger positioned his back against an opening in the cabin for 20 minutes and reported feeling severe pressure.

A passenger on Southwest Airlines Flight 1380 had the top half of her torso sucked out of a window on Tuesday, The New York Times reported.

The flight from New York to Dallas had to make an emergency landing in Philadelphia after an engine exploded in mid-air. One passenger died on the flight and seven were injured, according to Southwest. The Associated Press reported that the deceased passenger was 43-year-old Jennifer Riordan.

Passengers interviewed by the Times described how a passenger was partially removed from the aircraft after the explosion.

"The top half of her torso was out the window," Max Kraidelman told the Times. "There was a lot of blood because she was hit by some of the shrapnel coming off the engine after it exploded."

According to Kraidelman, other passengers and flight attendants were able to pull the woman back into the aircraft. The woman was unconscious once she was returned to the cabin and had significant injuries.

CPR was performed on the passenger and a defibrillator was also used on her during the landing, Kraidelman told the Times

Kraidelman said another passenger positioned his back against an opening in the cabin for 20 minutes and reported feeling severe pressure.

An audio recording obtained by NBC contained an exchange between the flight's pilot and air traffic control in which the pilot said she was told a passenger "went out" of the aircraft while it was in the air.

National Transportation Safety Board chairman Robert Sumwalt said the death on the flight was the first on a US passenger airline in over nine years. Prior to Tuesday, the most recent fatal accident came in February 2009 near Buffalo, New York, when an aircraft operated by the now-defunct regional airline Colgan Air crashed and killed 50 people, including 49 on board and one person on the ground.

The NTSB sent a team to Philadelphia to investigate the crash on Tuesday. The agency said a full investigation will take 12-15 months.

Read More about the Southwest Incident:

• Southwest passenger's death was the first fatality on a US passenger airline in more than 9 years
• Investigators found a major clue to what may have caused Southwest jet's engine failure
• Southwest passenger says there was 'blood everywhere' after 'terrifying' emergency landing
• Southwest passenger who died after major engine failure has been identified as a Wells Fargo VP and mother of two