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Last week, I wrote about a scary situation that unfolded above Tampa International Airport (TPA) when Southwest Airlines flight WN425 came within 150 feet of Tampa Bay (more here). This came shortly after several other terrifying incidents including a low approach in Oklahoma City, a go around in Hawaii, and taking off from a closed runway at Portland International Jetport (PWM). Now, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is conducting a safety audit of Southwest Airlines.
The Wall Street Journal reported that the FAA is currently reviewing the airline’s safety policies. Outside experts along with airline management, union representatives, and the FAA are working together for this investigation. Details of what will be examined, the timeline, and the impact on the airline have not been released.
Southwest is not the first airline to be scrutinized by the FAA. The agency increased its oversight of United Airlines back in March 2024 after multiple maintenance issues caused concern (more here). This was in response to multiple, unrelated mechanical issues that caused one aircraft to lose a maintenance panel while in flight, another to divert in Sydney with its main landing gears open, hydraulic failure that plagued a Mexico City-bound flight, another issue that caused a plane landing in Houston to roll into the grass, and a trio of other incidents including a tire falling off upon takeoff at SFO.
Southwest Airlines 737 MAX descends dangerously low over the waters of Tampa Bay after descending to 150 feet 4 miles from landing at Tampa Airport. pic.twitter.com/qKifoP0gET
— Breaking Aviation News & Videos (@aviationbrk) July 20, 2024
We’ll have to wait and see what this investigation uncovers, if anything. It’s unknown as to what the root cause of the issues above was or what can be done to prevent similar from occurring in the future.
Anthony’s Take: It’s good that the FAA is looking into what is going on at Southwest. One incident is scary, but half a dozen is not acceptable. Hopefully, they’ll find some way to course correct.
(Featured Image Credit: Owen Lystrup.)
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Advertiser & Editorial Disclosure: The Bulkhead Seat earns an affiliate commission for anyone approved through the links above This compensation may impact how and where links appear on this site. We work to provide the best publicly available offers to our readers. We frequently update them, but this site does not include all available offers. Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed, or approved by any of these entities.
