Daniel Slim/AFP/Getty Images/File
In this 2022 file photo, a Southwest Airlines flight approaches the runway at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in Arlington, Virginia.
CNN
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The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating after a Southwest Airlines flight descended just 525 feet from the ground on approach to Will Rogers World Airport in Oklahoma City on Wednesday.
Southwest Flight 4069 was about 9 miles from the airport, over the Yukon, Oklahoma, when it descended at low altitude just after midnight Wednesday, flight tracking information from FlightRadar24 shows.
“Southwest 4069 low altitude alert,” a controller is heard saying on LiveATC.net’s air traffic control log. “Are you all right out there?”
The pilots response was inaudible.
After the landing was aborted, the Boeing 737-800 briefly climbed and then maneuvered for a successful landing in Oklahoma City, according to the data display.
In a statement to CNN, the FAA said it was investigating the incident, adding: “After an automatic warning sounded, an air traffic controller alerted the crew of Southwest Airlines Flight 4069 that the aircraft had descended to a low altitude of nine miles. Rogers World Airport in Oklahoma City.
The airlines say they have been in contact with the FAA since the incident.
“Nothing is more important to Southwest than the safety of our customers and employees,” the airline said in a statement. “Southwest maintains its robust safety management system and is in contact with the Federal Aviation Administration to understand and address any irregularities on the aircraft’s approach to the airport.”
This marks the second recent incident in which a Southwest flight has gone off the ground. In April, the crew of Southwest Flight 2786 Stopped approach to Lihue Airport On the island of Kauai, but instead of climbing, he descended 400 feet into the Pacific Ocean.
