Boeing MAX near-disaster triggers new federal investigation

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is investigating a harrowing incident involving a Southwest Airlines Boeing 737 Max 8 that reportedly crashed just a few hundred feet above the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Hawaii in April, the agency confirmed by email to Newsweek on Saturday.

Southwest Flight 2786, en route from Honolulu to Lihue on April 11, encountered adverse weather conditions near Kauai that forced the pilots to abort their first landing attempt. Shortly afterward, the plane entered a rapid descent toward the ocean, according to air traffic control audio recordings reviewed by CBS News. The flight crew managed to regain control and return safely to Honolulu.

A memo Southwest distributed to its pilots last week and obtained by Bloomberg News revealed that the plane had come within 400 feet of the ocean’s surface. The jet reportedly plummeted at speeds of over 4,000 feet per minute before pilots successfully regained altitude and averted potential disaster. No passengers or crew were injured in the ordeal.

Southwest Airlines addressed the incident in a statement Newsweek on Saturday via email, emphasizing its commitment to safety. “Nothing is more important to Southwest than safety. Through our robust safety management system, the incident was appropriately handled as we always strive for continuous improvement,” the airline said.

This incident came shortly after another incident involving a Southwest Airlines Boeing 737 Max 8. Federal authorities said Thursday they are investigating an unusual rolling motion that occurred on a May 25 flight from Phoenix to Oakland, California, that may have been caused by a faulty emergency power unit.

The FAA is investigating the incident in cooperation with Boeing and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). Southwest has now agreed to cooperate with the investigation.

Updated information from the NTSB on Friday indicated that the plane entered a “Dutch roll” situation at an altitude of about 34,000 feet. Named after the rocking motion of a Dutch ice skater, the phenomenon involves the tail of the plane slipping and the aircraft rocking from wingtip to wingtip. Pilots are trained to recover from such extreme situations, and the plane landed safely in Oakland about an hour later.

Newsweek contacted the NTSB via email on Saturday to request further comment.

The Boeing 737 Max series has been under intense scrutiny following two devastating crashes in 2018 and 2019 that killed a total of 346 people. The tragedies were blamed on a faulty automatic flight control system, which led to a worldwide grounding of the aircraft. After extensive investigations, software updates and improved pilot training, the FAA cleared the 737 Max to return to flight operations in November 2020.

As investigations into the two Southwest Airlines incidents progress, the aviation industry and the public await further insights into the causes and any steps necessary to prevent future incidents.