In the latest aviation saga, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is turning a keen eye on Southwest Airlines once again. This time, it’s due to a hair-raising incident involving a Boeing 737-800 that narrowly avoided a rather unplanned encounter with the Oklahoma soil. Specifically, the plane plummeted to an alarming 500 feet above the ground during a missed approach at Oklahoma City’s Will Rogers World Airport. The flight was en route from Las Vegas when it decided to play a game of chicken with gravity, much to the surprise of local residents and, no doubt, the passengers.
FlightAware, the go-to website for tracking airborne adventures, shows the aircraft was buzzing low over Yukon, a city nestled on the outskirts of Oklahoma City, around the stroke of midnight. Like an anxious bird trying to find its perch, the aircraft eventually climbed back up, performed an aerial pirouette, and safely landed about ten minutes later. This unplanned maneuver didn’t go unnoticed. An air traffic controller, probably sipping a late-night coffee, radioed the pilot with a concerned “you good out there?”—a phrase that will likely resonate in pilot folklore for some time.
As you might expect, social media lit up like a Christmas tree. One local resident, rudely awoken from their slumber, remarked they thought the plane was about to make a guest appearance in their living room. The noise and the lights created an unintentional spectacle that no one had tickets for. Despite the scare, airport officials reported that the aircraft had merely missed its approach, and there were no technical issues with the plane itself. Phew.
Southwest Airlines, ever the stalwart in dealing with turbulence of both the aerial and public relations variety, assured everyone that they were in contact with the FAA and following all the proper safety protocols. Safety, they emphasized, is their top priority, a sentiment echoed more frequently than a popular song’s chorus. The FAA, predictably tight-lipped, did not immediately respond to media inquiries.
Interestingly, this isn’t Southwest’s first rodeo with near-mishaps. Just last April, another of its Boeing 737 Max 8 aircraft had an unnervingly close shave with the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Kauai, Hawaii. That plane came within 400 feet of giving passengers an unplanned snorkeling experience, thanks to bad weather and an aborted landing. The FAA is also investigating a “Dutch roll” event on a Southwest Boeing 737 Max plane in May, where the aircraft wobbled substantially from side to side during a flight from Phoenix to Oakland, causing considerable damage.
While the skies remain vast and often unpredictable, it’s reassuring to see thorough investigations and stringent safety protocols in place. Southwest Airlines, amidst these turbulent times, continues to navigate through the high-flying challenges, aiming to keep their passengers’ trust aloft. So the next time you find yourself cruising at 30,000 feet, remember: it’s all part of the adventure.
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