Amid manufacturing and safety concerns at Boeing, an engine cowling on a Boeing 737-800 fell off during take-off and departure to Houston, striking a wing flap.
The aircraft had 135 passengers and six crew members on board and rose to about 10,300 feet (3,140m) before landing. The Southwest Airlines flight returned safely to Denver International Airport at about 08:15 local time (15:15 GMT).
Meanwhile, Southwest Airlines, owner of the aircraft said its maintenance teams would review the cause of the fall off of cowling, which covers the plane's engine.
"We apologize for the inconvenience of their delay, but place our highest priority on ultimate safety for our customers and employees," a statement said.
The plane was manufactured in 2015 according to regulator Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) records, and the 737-800 is an earlier generation of the 737 from the latest Max model.
CFM56 engines powered the aircraft in the latest incident while the 737 Max models use the CFM-Leap engine. A joint venture between General Electric Aerospace and Safran Aircraft Engines makes both
The FAA said the Boeing aircraft was towed to the gate after landing.
Boeing refused to comment when approached by BBC News, referring questions to Southwest for information about the airline's plane and fleet operations.
Following a dramatic mid-air blowout in January, in which passengers on a flight from Portland, Oregon, to California narrowly escaped serious injury, Boeing has been under scrutiny.
On Friday, Boeing paid $160m (£126m) to Alaska Air to make up for losses the airline suffered following the emergency as it was announced.
Nearly 200 Boeing 737 Max 9 jets were temporarily grounded by Regulators after a door plug fell from the Alaska aircraft shortly after take-off.
Boeing has been trying to repair its reputation for years after crashes in 2018 and 2019 involving a different version of the 737 Max plane killed 346 people.
The popular 737 Max planes were grounded globally for over 18 months.
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