Southwest Airlines plane narrowly missed crashing into the sea near Hawaii by 120 meters

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According to a recently released memo, a Southwest Airlines plane crashed 400 feet above sea level near Hawaii in April.

The document presented to the airline’s pilots last week and obtained by BloombergNews, stated that a Boeing 737 Max 8 briefly crashed at an unusually high speed of 4,000 feet per minute before the crew ejected. The April 11 incident occurred after pilots had to abort a landing attempt due to adverse weather conditions.

There were no injuries and the flight returned to Honolulu. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said The Independent that it is investigating the incident.

The Independent has contacted Southwest Airlines for comment. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said it had no information to release at this time.

The incident came amid other reported safety issues after airlines increased flights following the pandemic. Southwest has been under increasing pressure from Elliott Investment Management as well as other investors as the company struggles with its finances. Bloomberg reported.

“Nothing is more important to Southwest than safety,” the airline told the outlet. “Thanks to our robust safety management system, the incident was handled appropriately as we always strive for continuous improvement.”

Data from flight tracking site ADS-B Exchange shows that the flight on April 11 plunged from 1,000 feet to 400 feet in a matter of seconds before beginning to climb rapidly.

Former pilot and flight instructor Kit Darby said Bloomberg that the pilot was “swaying up and down with the power and almost out of control – almost. It felt like a roller coaster ride.”

Southwest’s investigation shows that the incident occurred after a landing attempt failed due to adverse weather conditions and the pilots could not see the runway.

The memo states that despite the bad weather, the captain decided to entrust the “newer” first officer with command of the short flight.

The first officer “unintentionally” pushed the control stick forward, following the movement of the thrust lever caused by the aircraft’s automatic thrust control.

The pilot then reduced speed and began to descend. Alarms sounded, reporting that they were getting too close to the surface, so the captain ordered the first officer to increase thrust, and the plane climbed “aggressively” to 8,500 feet per minute, the memo said.

Darby told the news agency that planes approaching an airport for landing typically descend at a speed of about 450 to 600 meters per minute, slowing to about 240 meters when the plane is about five miles away.

Southwest’s review found that pilot monitoring and improved communication among crew members are critical. Southwest announced that the airline would review internal and industry data related to its procedures and training protocols.

In December 2022, a United Airlines flight came within 750 feet of the ocean after crashing shortly after takeoff. Investigations by the FAA and NTSB found that the incident was due to miscommunication between pilots on the plane.