Adding to the long list of air travel mishaps plaguing the industry in recent years, a Southwest Airlines flight reportedly flew too low to the ground, prompting an investigation by the FAA.
As previously reported by The Dallas Express, Southwest has come under scrutiny for allegedly committing to race-conscious hiring practices and other “diversity, equity, and inclusion” initiatives.
The industry has been rife with complaints about prioritizing DEI over business fundamentals and safety. Boeing has especially come under such fire, likely because two of its planes crashed (killing hundreds of people), and whistleblowers have been sounding the alarm over dismal quality assurance after a series of mid-flight aircraft failures, as DX reported.
Here’s some of what Reuters reported on the Southwest flight that has regulators up in arms:
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said Saturday it is investigating a Southwest Airlines flight after it flew at a very low altitude over Tampa Bay, Florida, the most recent in a series of incidents raising safety questions.
The July 14 flight by a Southwest Boeing 737 MAX that had departed from Columbus, Ohio, was approximately 3 miles (5 km) from the Tampa airport when it dropped to as low as about 175 feet (53 meters), according to Flightradar24 data. An air traffic controller alerted the crew of Southwest Flight 425 to their low altitude and the plane was diverted to Fort Lauderdale.
Southwest said Saturday is in contact with the FAA “to understand and address any irregularities” following the July 14 flight. “Nothing is more important to Southwest than the safety of our customers and employees,” the airline added.
This was the latest in a string of Southwest flights that have raised safety concerns, including a Southwest 737 flight in April that came within about 400 feet (122 meters) of the ocean off Hawaii after the first officer inadvertently pushed forward on the control column and the plane hit a maximum descent rate of about 4,400 feet per minute.