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Frightening: Rollover incident on Southwest Boeing 737 MAX

Theo

The Aviation Herald reports on a recent incident involving a Southwest Airlines Boeing 737 MAX that is now being investigated by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). The incident was so serious that the plane was flown to Paine Field in Washington for investigation by Boeing after the incident. The plane has not flown a passenger flight since.

Southwest Boeing 737 MAX begins to skid

This incident occurred on Saturday, May 25, 2024, and involves Southwest flight WN746 from Phoenix (PHX) to Oakland (OAK) with 175 passengers and six crew members. The flight was operated by a one-year-old Boeing 737 MAX 8 with registration code N8825Q.

About 40 minutes after takeoff, the aircraft was at 32,000 feet when it experienced a “Dutch roll.” For those unfamiliar with a “Dutch roll,” this is an aircraft motion that consists of an out-of-phase combination of “tail wag” (yaw) and side-to-side rock (roll). Below is a video explaining this in more detail.

The crew managed to regain control of the aircraft and 55 minutes later it landed safely on runway 30 at Oakland Airport.

Upon landing, the aircraft underwent an inspection and damage to the PCU (the power control unit, which also controls the rudder) was found. This incident was so serious that the aircraft remained grounded in Oakland until Thursday, June 6, 2024. At that time, the aircraft was transported to Paine Field (PAE) in Washington, where the 737 MAX is produced. The aircraft has been grounded there ever since.

The FAA is currently investigating this incident and reports the following:

“The airplane entered a roll, regained control, and a post-flight inspection revealed damage to the standby PCU, Oakland, California.”

What should we learn from this 737 MAX incident?

It’s hard to say what to make of this. Not only is this outside my area of ​​expertise, but even those who know more about it than I do seem a little baffled. So we’ll let the investigation determine what happened.

First of all, a Dutch roll is a serious incident that most commercial pilots will never experience in their lifetime, except in a simulator. There have been several crashes due to Dutch rolls in the last few decades, so it can be serious.

It’s a little surprising that this hasn’t received more media attention in the weeks since the incident, especially considering it was a 737 MAX. One would certainly assume that the passengers on board felt all of this, given the G-forces you feel when you’re making such a pitching motion. So did it not feel that bad in the cabin, or how exactly did this slip under the radar?

I really hope this is an isolated incident and not indicative of a larger problem with the Boeing 737 MAX. Whatever the cause, hopefully an investigation can uncover the source of the problem. A “Dutch Roll” is something you never want to experience as a pilot or passenger, and the fact that this aircraft was damaged makes it all the more concerning…

Boeing 737 of Southwest Airlines

Bottom line

A few weeks ago, a Southwest Airlines Boeing 737 MAX taxied during a routine flight, causing the pilots to struggle to maintain control of the aircraft. Upon landing, damage to the aircraft was discovered, forcing the plane to remain on the ground. The plane has now been flown to Boeing’s 737 MAX factory, where the incident is being investigated by engineers and the FAA. It was certainly not a pleasant experience for the people on board the plane…

What do you think about this incident involving Southwest’s Boeing 737 MAX?

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