FAA probing Southwest flight narrowly avoiding a mid-air collision with the ocean by less than 400 feet.
Incident Report: Southwest Flight 2786, April 11
The shocking event aboard Southwest Flight 2786 went public on Friday, thanks to a report by Bloomberg. According to their report, Southwest issued an internal memo detailing the incident, where a novice first officer accidentally moved the control column.
Flight tracking data from ADS-B Exchange reveals a rapid descent of the Boeing 737 Max 8, dropping at a rate of over 4,000 feet per minute while only 600 feet above sea level. The plane dipped as low as 400 feet before swiftly recovering.
Southwest's official statement reads, "Safety is our top priority. Through our Safety Management System, we addressed the incident effectively, and we continuously strive for improvement."
In response to CNN's query, Southwest acknowledged the incident but provided no additional details or explanations.
The Federal Aviation Administration was swift to open an investigation into the matter.
As of yet, the Southwest Airlines Pilots Association has remained silent on the issue.
The flight in question was a local trip from Honolulu to Lihue on the nearby island of Kauai, with the internal memo indicating the pilots opted to abort a landing due to poor weather conditions, as per Bloomberg's report.
Subsequent tracking data shows the plane returned to Honolulu.
In a separate event in December 2022, a United Airlines flight, departing from a different Hawaiian airport, nearly plunged into the ocean in adverse weather conditions. The National Transportation Safety Board reported a close call, with the pilots failing to correctly coordinate the settings of the airplane’s flaps. The NTSB has not decided if they will investigate this latest incident.
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The FAA is examining the actions of US airline Southwest, as Flight 2786 came dangerously close to colliding with the ocean. Southwest Airlines, being committed to safety, has addressed the incident through their Safety Management System and aims to continually improve.
