A Southwest Airlines plane arriving at Tampa International Airport was rerouted to Fort Lauderdale after descending dangerously low about four miles from the runway.
The plane came down within 150 feet of the Courtney Campbell Causeway, Fox 13 Tampa reported.
At that distance, the plane would have been about 1,000 feet off the ground.
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“Southwest Airlines Flight 425 landed safely at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport on July 14 after the crew aborted the scheduled approach to Tampa International Airport,” a Southwest Airlines spokesperson said in an email to Fox News Digital. “The aircraft remained on the ground in Fort Lauderdale for a period of time before returning to Tampa.”
A Southwest Airlines Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft takes off from Baltimore Washington Airport (BWI) in Baltimore, Maryland, USA, Friday, April 12, 2024. Southwest Airlines is scheduled to report earnings on April 25. (Angus Mordaunt/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
In an air traffic control call recording obtained by Fox 13 Tampa, a technician can be heard contacting the pilot, “Southwest 425, low altitude warning, check altitude…”
It is unclear at this time why the plane was diverted to Fort Lauderdale Airport. The FAA is currently investigating the incident.
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“The FAA has increased its oversight of Southwest Airlines to ensure the airline is complying with federal safety regulations through its certificate holder evaluation process,” the FAA said in a statement to Fox News Digital. “Safety will drive schedules.”
One former pilot interviewed by Fox 13 Tampa believes it was pilot error: “How they got to 150 feet with all the warning devices on the plane…it’s just unbelievable,” Kent Davis said.
An aerial view of Tampa International Airport (TPA) on January 31, 2021 in Tampa, Florida. (Mike Ehrman/Getty Images)
“Either they began their descent at the wrong point and what they believed was the right rate of descent to the runway, or something malfunctioned,” the retired pilot, who served as a pilot for 30 years, continued.
“Nothing is more important to Southwest Airlines than the safety of our customers and employees,” a Southwest Airlines spokesperson said in a statement to Fox News Digital.
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It could be months before the FAA’s initial findings are released.
