Here we go again. Southwest Airlines is under the gun for one of its planes flying too low to the ground while attempting to land. Per Fox News, a flight "arriving at Tampa International was rerouted to Fort Lauderdale after the plane descended dangerously low nearly four miles out from the tarmac."
Reportedly, the plane was within 150 feet of the Courtney Campbell Causeway. At that distance, the plane should've been at around 1,000 feet from the ground. A Southwest Airlines spokesperson sent an email to Fox explaining the situation further. "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."
Per an air traffic control call, a technician can be heard warning the pilot as the plane comes in. "Southwest 425, low altitude alert, check your altitude..."
It's presently unknown why the flight had to be diverted to Fort Lauderdale. The FAA is investigating the incident. The agency shared a statement with Fox. "The FAA has increased oversight of Southwest Airlines to ensure it is complying with federal safety regulations through the Certificate Holder Evaluation Process. Safety will drive the timeline."
A Southwest Airlines Flight Flew Too Close To The Ground At 150 Feet
Furthermore, a retired pilot spoke to Fox, believing the incident was due to pilot error. "How they got to 150 feet with the number of warnings that are available on an aircraft. It's hard to believe." Kent Davis, 30 years retired, went on to explain his reasoning. "They either started their descent at the wrong point and descended thinking that they were on the proper descent rate to the runway, or something may have malfunctioned."
"Nothing is more important to Southwest than the Safety of our Customers and Employees," Southwest shared with Fox. Indeed, dear audience, it didn't take us long to get back to the plane-related shenanigans. Fortunately, nobody was hurt this time! But, sadly, we're back from our brief "Well, at least planes aren't falling out the sky this week!" occupational streak. It's my hope the insanity stops there, but I suppose we'll see!
