FAA Probes Two Safety Incidents Involving Southwest Airlines

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is currently investigating two safety incidents related to Southwest Airlines, one of which involved a concerning episode where an aircraft descended to just 400 feet above the ocean surface. This incident, which took place near the Hawaiian island of Kauai in April, has raised significant safety concerns.

During an attempted landing at Lihue Airport on Kauai, adverse weather conditions prompted a pilot to abort the approach. A memo to Southwest employees revealed that the 737 MAX 8 aircraft plunged from an altitude of 1,000 feet to 400 feet within seconds, before it managed to climb again at an alarming rate of 8,500 feet per minute. Bloomberg first reported these details, highlighting the severity of the situation.

The internal review by Southwest attributed the rapid descent to actions taken by a less-experienced first officer who was piloting the aircraft at the time. Mistakenly, the officer caused the plane to descend faster than intended. The situation was corrected only after alarms indicated the proximity to the ocean, prompting an increase in thrust to regain altitude.

Southwest concluded from its review that enhanced communication and vigilant pilot monitoring could have prevented the scare. Following the incident, the airline has provided additional training to the pilots involved to prevent such occurrences in the future.

While the FAA has taken up the investigation of this close call, the US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has not been involved in reviewing this particular event.

This investigation comes as Southwest and other airlines face increasing scrutiny over their safety practices and training standards. The outcomes of such investigations are critical in ensuring that airline operations maintain the highest safety standards to protect passengers and crew.

Sources: AirGuide Business airguide.info, bing.com, bloomberg.com, airport-technology.com