Pilots praised after losing engine

CAPE TOWN, South Africa, Nov. 9 (UPI) -- Airline officials praised the pilots of a South African Boeing 737 that lost an engine, a South African newspaper reported.

Nationwide Airlines Flight 723 lost one of its engines on takeoff from Cape Town International Airport Wednesday, The Independent On Line reported. The engine apparently sucked in a foreign object. Jet engines are designed to detach in such instances to avoid shearing off in flight.

Capt. Trevor Arnold and co-pilot Daniel Perry continued takeoff, flew the Boeing 737 over False Bay to dump fuel and looped back for a safe landing. About 100 people were aboard the Nationwide Airlines plane, CNN reported.