A recent Southwest Airlines flight approaching Tampa, Florida, pitched down to near danger levels close to the ground before landing in Fort Lauderdale, instead of its intended destination, according to flight tracking data from Flightradar24.
Flight 425, flying from Columbus, Ohio, dropped as low as 150 feet above ground level with almost five miles to go before landing at Tampa International Airport. It’s the third such incident for Southwest Airlines this year.
Southwest Airlines confirmed the incident in a statement, saying, “The flight was diverted to Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport on July 14 after the crew aborted their approach into Tampa. After a short stop in Fort Lauderdale, the plane continued on to Tampa.”.
On the incident, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has opened an investigation. Southwest Airlines assured that safety was the number one priority at the company and clarified that it is fully cooperating with the FAA to resolve any issues.
According to Flightradar24, other flights into Tampa normally stayed at about 1,225 feet at a similar point in their descent, indicating just how far off normal this flight was. The weather conditions at the time were poor, with thunderstorms in the area.
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The incident happened just days after two near-identical incidents earlier this year, with Southwest Airlines planes flying too low. On June 19, Flight 4069 was bound for Oklahoma City when it dropped as low as 525 feet above ground nine miles from touchdown. On April 11, Flight 2786 went down to only 400 feet above the ocean off Kauai, Hawaii, before it adjusted its altitude.
Southwest Airlines has continually reaffirmed that ensuring the safety of all passengers and crew onboard remains their utmost priority.