PHILADELPHIA — The pilot hailed as a hero for her “nerves of steel” in safely landing a stricken Southwest Airlines flight on Tuesday got her first flying experience in the United States Navy, touching down F-18 fighter jets at 240 kilometres per hour on aircraft carriers.

Tammie Jo Shults, 56, may have drawn on her Navy skills when one of the two engines on her Boeing 737-700 blew and broke apart at 32,000 feet, forcing her to implement a rapid descent toward Philadelphia International Airport.

The explosion killed one passenger and nearly sucked another out of a shattered window.

One of the first female fighter pilots in the US Navy, Ms Shults calmly told air traffic control that part of her plane was missing, and she would need ambulances on the runway.

“So we have a part of the aircraft missing so we’re going to need to slow down a bit,” Ms Shults told a controller.

Many of the 144 passengers sang her praise on social media after Ms Shults thanked them for their bravery as they left the plane.

“The pilot Tammy Jo was so amazing! She landed us safely in Philly,” said Amanda Bourman on Instagram.

“A huge thank you to the Southwest Crew & Pilot Tammie Jo Shults for their knowledge and bravery under these circumstances. God bless each one of them,” passenger Diana McBride Self wrote on Facebook.

Passenger Alfred Tumlinson lauded Ms Shults and her crew for their professionalism.

“She has nerves of steel. That lady, I applaud her. I’m going to send her a Christmas card – I’m going to tell you that – with a gift certificate for getting me on the ground. She was awesome,” Mr Tumlinson said.

Authorities said the crew did what they were trained to do.

“They’re in the simulator and practice emergency descents..and losing an engine... They did the job that professional airline pilots are trained to do,” National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) Chairman Robert Sumwalt told reporters.

Ms Shults might never have become a pilot if she had not been so determined to fly from a young age.

She is quoted on fighter plane blog F-16.net saying she tried to attend an aviation career day at high school but was told they did not accept girls.

A native of New Mexico, she never lost the urge to fly and, after graduating from MidAmerica Nazarene University in Kansas in 1983, applied to the Air Force.

It would not let her take the test to become a pilot, but the US Navy did, and she became one of its first female fighter pilots, according to a Facebook post by the school’s alumni association.

“She landed her fighter plane on boats at 150 miles per hour (240 kmh) and eventually became an instructor,” an article about her posted to a pilots’ forum reads.

She left the Navy in 1993 and joined Southwest, according to the F-16 blog.

Tuesday’s frightening ordeal played out onboard Southwest flight 1380 20 minutes into its journey from New York’s LaGuardia Airport to Dallas, when the engine failure occurred.

Passenger Marty Martinez said that as the cabin suddenly lost pressure, flight attendants began crying.

“When we saw that they started crying, of course we thought we were in a really bad place. We were going down,” said Mr Martinez, founder and CEO of Social Revolt digital marketing in Dallas.

The woman who was killed has been reported as Jennifer Riordan, a vice president of community relations for Wells Fargo in New Mexico. Seven people suffered minor injuries.

She was nearly sucked out of the cabin as it decompressed at high altitude and other passengers had to pull her back into the plane as it flew at hundreds of miles an hour, according to passenger accounts.

Investigators have found indications of metal fatigue, an area of weakness caused by repeated bending, where a fan blade on the engine was missing, NTSB chairman Mr Sumwalt said.

The pilots brought the plane down promptly, landing at a higher speed than usual to ensure they could control the plane, he added.

“I did listen to the aircraft control communications, and it certainly sounded to me like they did an excellent job,” Mr Sumwalt said. “From a fellow airline pilot, my hat’s certainly off to them.”

NTSB investigators examining the damage to the Southwest Airlines plane.   Photo: Reuters

Ms Shults’ actions bring to mind the heroics of Captain Chesley Sullenberger, who managed to land a plane on New York’s Hudson River in January 2009, saving 155 lives.

Ms Shults’ brother-in-law, Gary Shults, said her husband also is a Southwest pilot.

“She’s a formidable woman, as sharp as a tack,” said Mr Shults.

“My brother says she’s the best pilot he knows. She’s a very caring, giving person who takes care of lots of people.”

A Christian and mother of two, Ms Shults said that sitting in the captain’s chair gave her “the opportunity to witness for Christ on almost every flight.”

Ms Bourman was among passengers who said they had been saved by divine intervention.

“God sent his angels to watch over us,” she said. AGENCIES