June 17th 2024.
Recently, there has been an incident involving a Southwest Airlines flight that is currently being investigated. During the flight from Honolulu to Lihue airport in Kauai, the Boeing 737 MAX 8 descended at a rate of 4,400 feet per minute near the coast of Hawaii. This abrupt drop occurred after the pilots decided to abort a landing attempt due to unfavorable weather conditions.
According to a memo seen by Reuters, the first officer unintentionally pushed forward on the control column while following the autothrottle's command. This caused the aircraft to dangerously approach the Pacific Ocean. The safety data also showed that the crew received oral warnings, but the first officer later explained that they were not heard.
Fortunately, no passengers or crew members were harmed during this incident. In a post-incident debrief, the pilots described the event as a significant and emotional experience. Southwest Airlines released a statement saying that they have addressed the situation and are continuously striving for improvement.
This incident comes just weeks after another Southwest Airlines Boeing 737 MAX 8 had suffered damage to its infrastructure during a flight from Phoenix to Oakland. The MAX 8 has been facing safety concerns after various accidents, including the notorious Alaska Airlines window blowout. It should be noted that the MAX 8 is the newer generation of the Boeing 737, with the 737-800 being the previous model.
In another recent event, a plane bound for Melbourne, Australia had to make an emergency landing in Invercargill, New Zealand after one of its engines caught fire mid-flight. Thankfully, the plane was able to land safely and all passengers and crew members were evacuated.
In response to the incident, Southwest Airlines has taken corrective actions and reviewed their procedures, training, standards, and performance. They are committed to continuously improving their safety measures and ensuring the well-being of their passengers and crew members.
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