Photo by AleLa0201

Good morning, Washington, and happy Bastille Day! What better way to celebrate the Fête Nationale of France, a country that prides itself on its wine and its rudeness, than by … sigh, even we can’t bring ourselves to finish this cheesy, totally inappropriate transition. When it comes to nightmare-inducing aviation incidents, we’re all business, all the time. A Southwest Airlines flight headed from Nashville to BWI last night made an emergency landing in West Virginia after a roughly 1 foot by 1 foot long hole ripped through the body of the plane. The hole, as you might imagine, caused the cabin pressure in the plane to drop rapidly, releasing those little yellow oxygen mask thingies and surely freaking a lot passengers right the eff out. Mercifully, there are zero injuries to report, but just in case you feel like inducing a state of hyperventilation at your desk this morning, take a look at some of the images of the hole. And note the quote from the Southwest spokesperson: ‘”Nothing like this has ever happened before,” airline spokeswoman Marilee McInnis said.’ Um, yeah, we should hope not. An investigation into the incident is underway.

House and Senate Differ on D.C. Appropriations: The Examiner’s Michael Neibauer reports on the status of the D.C. budget bill winding its way through Congress, where it’s already moved out of subcommittees in both chambers. There’s a difference of about $41 million between the two versions, which isn’t particularly unusual and the sort thing that can typically be worked out in conference committees after they’re both passed. But the story notes that the House version is more generous both in terms of funds and respecting Home Rule, and there’s no real way to tell which chamber’s version will more closely resemble the final one until it comes to that point.

House Moves Forward on $150 Million for Metro: Speaking of committees, the House Appropriations Committee’s transportation, housing and urban development subcommittee has given the thumbs up to $150 million for Metro, plus $85 million for the Dulles Metro project. Virginia, Maryland and the District would each need to match the Metro funding it with $50 million.

Briefly Noted: Fewer millionaires are living in the D.C. area this year … Sailor found dead at Ft. Myer … the Jonas Brothers play softball at AOL in Dulles, girls squeal … Fairfax blames D.C. laws for drunken driving problems.

This Day in DCist: In 2008, Capitol Hill residents were suspicious of a late-night ice cream truck, and in 2005, AU’s Katzen Arts Center was set to open.