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On Sunday, June 21, emergency crews were deployed to Memphis International Airport (MEM) after a ground vehicle became wedged and stuck under a 
Southwest AirlinesBoeing 737-700. It appears from videos shared that the ground vehicle struck the Southwest aircraft during boarding.
The airline has confirmed the incident affected its flight WN4013 from Memphis to Las Vegas 
Harry Reid International Airport (LAS), with the plane taken out of service following the incident. This led to the delay of the flight to the City of Sin, as a replacement aircraft was found.
Southwest Airlines Boeing 737-700 Struck On The Ground At Memphis
The aircraft involved (similar to the one pictured) bears registration N436WN and had arrived in Memphis after a short flight from Houston Hobby Airport (HOU). The plane was expected to continue to Las Vegas when the incident occurred. According to previous reports, there were no reports of passenger injuries, and the event is set to be investigated in depth through the airline’s Safety Management System.
Following the incident, the aircraft was immediately removed from service, leading to a delay of almost three hours for confirmed travelers to Las Vegas as a replacement plane was found. The affected jet was declared safe to fly (with no passengers) and has been ferried to Cecil Airport near Jacksonville, Florida, for a more thorough inspection, maintenance, and repair.
Simple Flying reached out to the airline for comment and received the response from the airline’s spokesperson:
Southwest Flight 4013 was contacted by a ground equipment vehicle during boarding at Memphis International Airport on June 21. The aircraft was taken out of service and an alternate plane operated the route to Dallas. We have no reports of passenger injuries and the event will be investigated through our comprehensive Safety Management System. Nothing is more important to Southwest than the Safety of its Customers and Employees.
A Ground Vehicle Struck The Plane
Following the incident at Memphis, emergency crews attended to the aircraft, including airport fire, local police, and paramedics. There were no reports of any passenger or crew injury; however, the aircraft sustained some damage. What appears to be the belt loader became wedged under the aircraft’s rear.
The plane at the center of the incident was N436WN, a 23-year-old 737-700 which was first delivered to the world’s largest low-cost carrier in June 2003. It is configured to carry a total of 143 passengers in an all-economy class layout. Further airplane characteristics below as per ch-aviation:
Registration | N436WN |
|---|---|
Serial Number (MSN) | 1342 |
Hex Code | A53B69 |
Configuration | 143 economy |
Delivery date | June 2003 |
Southwest Fleet Number | 436 |
Southwest operates the largest fleet of 737 aircraft in the world, and was the launch customer and largest operator of the 737-700. It has almost 300 of this type in service, and these are all set to be gradually retired and replaced by the 737 MAX by 2031. These operate alongside the airlines’ nearly 200 737-800 and 310 Boeing 737 MAX 8, making a total fleet of more than 800 aircraft.
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The incident resulted in the cancelation of both of the flights that were involved.
Affected Passengers Reaccommodated Onto Another Aircraft To Las Vegas
With the affected aircraft taken out of service, this saw passengers reaccommodated onto a replacement plane to Las Vegas. The flight, which was planned to depart at 12:25 PM, was delayed to 3:25 PM, meaning passengers arrived in Vegas at 5:36 PM instead of the scheduled 1:50 PM as planned.
At Memphis, according to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Southwest is the second largest carrier (18%) at the airport after 
Delta Air Lines (21%). The airline does, however, operate the largest network of flights by number of destinations served (nine year-round, one seasonal), including Baltimore, Chicago Midway, Dallas Love, Denver, Houston Hobby, Las Vegas, Nashville, Orlando, and Phoenix. Seasonal services are added to Tampa. The airline is set to launch a new year-round service to Austin from October 1, taking its year-round destinations to ten.
Southwest faces direct competition on the route to Vegas from two other airlines, which are Allegiant Air and Frontier Airlines. BTS shows that a total of 87,150 passengers flew across the three airlines between the two cities between January and December 2025.
It remains unclear how long the affected aircraft will remain at Cecil Airport (VQQ) until repairs and heavy maintenance are complete and the aircraft is able to return to scheduled services for the airline.
