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According to reports, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is investigating a Southwest Airlines plane that fell approximately 500 feet off the ground during a go-around while landing at Oklahoma City’s Will Rogers World Airport earlier this week.
The Boeing 737-800 passenger plane flew low over the Oklahoma City suburb of Yukon around midnight on Wednesday before gaining altitude, circling and landing about 10 minutes later, according to data from flight-tracking website FlightAware.
“Southwest 4069, low altitude warning. Are you OK?” the controller reportedly asked the pilot. Oklahoman.
The plane’s low flying path sparked concern on social media, with one local resident saying: “Wake up. [going to] “My house was also damaged,” the paper added.
Southwest Airlines plane bound for Hawaii dives, comes within 400 feet of Pacific Ocean: Report
A ramp attendant loads baggage onto a Southwest Airlines Boeing 737-800 at Baltimore-Washington International Airport in Baltimore, April 19, 2019. The Southwest Airlines Boeing 737-800 crashed about 500 feet above the ground after a crash landing in Oklahoma City this week. (Angus Mordaunt/Bloomberg via Getty Images/Getty Images)
Airport officials later told The Oklahoman that Southwest Airlines Flight 4069, which departed from Las Vegas, had veered off approach but there were no problems with the plane.
The FAA has now launched an investigation into the matter, according to Reuters.
| Ticker | safety | last | change | change % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| i love you | Southwest Airlines | 28.06 | -0.37 | -1.30% |
“Southwest follows a robust safety management system and is in communication with the Federal Aviation Administration to identify and address any irregularities regarding aircraft approaching airports. Nothing is more important to Southwest than the safety of our customers and employees,” a Southwest spokesperson told The Oklahoman.
Southwest Airlines and the FAA did not immediately respond to requests for comment from FOX Business early Friday morning.
FAA launches investigation into Southwest Airlines Boeing jet’s ‘Dutch roll’
A Southwest Airlines Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft departs from Los Angeles International Airport on May 5, 2024. The FAA is investigating an April 11 accident involving one of the aircraft in Hawaii. (Kevin Carter/Getty Images/Getty Images)
The reported incident happened in April after a Southwest Airlines Boeing 737 Max 8 plane came within 400 feet of the Pacific Ocean off the Hawaiian island of Kauai and weather conditions forced the pilot to suddenly change course.
The accident occurred after the pilots aborted the landing because bad weather prevented them from seeing the runway at the designated altitude, according to a memo sent to pilots by Southwest Airlines and seen by Bloomberg.
The memo said the captain had decided to hand over command of the 100-mile inter-island flight to a “new” first officer, despite unpredictable weather conditions.
The inexperienced co-pilot “accidentally” pushed forward on the control column that controls the plane’s pitch and roll, slowing the plane down and sending it into a steep dive.
The FAA is also investigating a Southwest Airlines Boeing 737 MAX plane that experienced a “Dutch roll” during a flight from Phoenix to Oakland, California on May 25, causing “significant” damage to the plane.
“Nothing is more important to Southwest than the safety of our customers and employees,” a Southwest spokesperson told The Oklahoman. (Scott Eisen/Bloomberg via Getty Images/Getty Images)
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A Boeing website document describes a Dutch roll as “an airplane pitching from side to side while simultaneously moving the nose from left to right.” The maneuver is caused by “wind or pilot input.”
FOX Business’ Sarah Rumpf-Whitten contributed to this report.
