WATCH: Boeing jet engine cover rips off, pilot makes emergency call

A Boeing passenger plane in the US was forced to make an emergency landing on Sunday after its engine cover got ripped off during takeoff. Audio recordings detailed the tense moment aboard the Boeing 737-800. In one such recorded air traffic control audio, a pilot on the Southwest Airlines plane said that “several passengers and flight attendants heard something loud hit the wing.”

Several vidoes were shared on social media showing the engine cover that peeled off and got caught on the aircraft’s wing.

"Let's go ahead and declare an emergency for Southwest 3695, and we'd like an immediate return. We've got a piece of the engine cowling hanging off apparently," an air traffic control official can be heard saying on the recording.

The flight carrying over 130 passengers, headed to Houston, returned safely to Denver International Airport around 10 minutes after takeoff. The plane was towed by a Southwest Airlines maintenance team to the gate for inspection.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in a statement said, "Southwest Airlines Flight 3695 returned safely to Denver International Airport...after the pilot reported the engine cowling fell off during takeoff and struck the wing flap."

An investigation has also been launched into the incident.

This incident comes following recent incidents involving Boeing aircraft that are raising safety concerns.

In January, a door panel blew off a Boeing 737 Max 9 during an Alaska Airlines flight. The incident prompted the FAA to ground the MAX 9 and order a review of Boeing's quality control procedures. In February, the FAA announced plans for increased inspections of Boeing aircraft.