A Southwest Airlines flight en route from Phoenix, Arizona to Oakland, California, experienced a rare “Dutch roll” at an altitude of 32,000 feet, causing “significant damage” to the Boeing aircraft.
Southwest Airlines Flight 746 was in the air on May 25 when “the tail began to rock back and forth and the wings of the aircraft began to rock back and forth,” according to the report. New York Post report.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said the Boeing 737 suffered “substantial” damage after experiencing a see-saw-like motion while swaying from side to side, but was able to complete the flight.
The damage wasn’t discovered until a “post-flight inspection,” USA Today reported. report.
No crew or passengers were reported injured.
According to the media, rare Dutch roll incidents have previously caused planes to “disintegrate in flight.”
“Dutch roll is an oscillatory motion characterized by a combination of an aircraft rolling and yawing. It typically occurs when the combination of an aircraft’s lateral (roll) and directional (yaw) dynamics becomes out of balance,” said Ken Burns, associate dean and associate professor of aeronautical sciences and chair of the Department of Flight at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.
“The F.A.A. [National Transportation Safety Board] “The department has requested Boeing’s assistance in investigating this incident,” the statement said. New York Post.
“We will take appropriate action based on the findings of our investigation.”
The incident comes at a time when Boeing is in a difficult position. Multiple whistleblowers One former quality control employee who came forward about apparently unsafe or careless manufacturing practices blamed the company for his accident in March. suicide.
