Engine covering falls off Boeing plane, strikes wing flap during Southwest Airlines flight Denver takeoff

An engine covering fell off a Boeing plane and hit the plane's wing flap as the Houston-bound Southwest Airlines flight took off from Denver International Airport on Sunday morning, officials said. 

Southwest Airlines Flight 3695 safely returned to the airport around 8:15 a.m. local time following the incident, and the Boeing 737-800 was towed to the gate, according to the Federal Aviation Administration. The plane was headed to Houston's William P. Hobby Airport. 

The incident could be heard on air traffic control recordings.