FAA launches investigation into Southwest Airlines

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) will investigate a July 14 incident in which a Southwest Airlines plane flew just 175 feet above the ground en route to landing at Tampa Airport.

The flight originated from Columbus, Ohio and was diverted across the state to Fort Lauderdale when air traffic controllers realized it was flying too low to land in Tampa.

That’s a bit too close for my taste.

The aircraft was a 737 Max-9 manufactured by Boeing.

“Nothing is more important to Southwest than the safety of our customers and employees,” the airline said.

This is the latest in a series of similar incidents involving Southwest. Earlier this year, a Southwest Airlines flight flew dangerously close to the ocean, less than 400 feet, although this was deemed pilot error. The FAA is still investigating an accident from June when a Southwest Airlines flight was too low to land in Oklahoma City.

The agency is also investigating an issue in June involving a Southwest Airlines flight that took off from a closed runway in Maine.

It is not yet known why this flight flew too low on approach to Tampa.

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