Southwest flight flew just 150 feet above the ground, tracking data shows
The flight from Columbus, Ohio, to Tampa last week ended up bypassing Tampa International Airport and landing in Fort Lauderdale. It’s the third reported case of a Southwest flight flying at what appears to be a dangerously low altitude this year.
“Southwest Flight 425 safely diverted to Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport on July 14 after the Crew discontinued their planned approach into Tampa International Airport. The aircraft returned to Tampa after a short time on the ground in Fort Lauderdale,” Southwest said in a statement.
The Federal Aviation Administration says it is investigating the incident.
“Southwest is following its robust Safety Management System and is in contact with the Federal Aviation Administration to understand and address any irregularities,” Southwest’s statement said. “Nothing is more important to Southwest than the Safety of our Customers and Employees.”
Flightradar24 says the previous three flights into Tampa flew at an altitude of 1,225 feet at the same point in their descent, a sign of how far off Flight 425 was from where it likely should have been. The weather at the time was poor, with thunderstorms in the area.
The incident follows two other low altitude incidents involving Southwest flights this year.
On June 19, Southwest flight 4069 descended to just 525 feet above the ground nine miles from its approach to Oklahoma City. On April 11, Southwest flight 2786 flew just 400 feet above the ocean off the coast of the Hawaiian island of Kauai. At one point, that flight was descending at 4,000 feet per minute before climbing.
The investigation by the Federal Aviation Administration will likely involve discussing the incident with us, as Southwest is following its Safety Management System to understand and address any irregularities. After the incident last week, our flight from Columbus to Tampa safely diverted to Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport, just like Southwest Flight 425 did on June 19.
