INCIDENT: Southwest flight takes off from wrong runway

A Southwest Airlines Boeing 737 took off from a runway that was not only closed but also occupied by airport service personnel and their vehicles.

This incident occurred on Tuesday, June 25th, and involved Southwest flight WN-4805, which departed from Portland International Jetport (KPWM). The flight’s destination was Baltimore Washington International (KBWI).

This is a daily flight that typically departs Portland very early – before 6 a.m. The departure time of the Southwest flight may have played a role on the day of this runway incident. At this time, we do not know how many passengers and crew were on board the flight.

The crew of the Southwest flight decided to use runway 29 for their departure from Portland. They lined up and took off at 5:42 a.m. – just two minutes after the scheduled departure time. However, according to the NOTAM, runway 29 was closed at the time. It was scheduled to open at 5:45 a.m. – just 3 minutes later.

Southwest 737-700 and a busy, closed runway

During takeoff, the Southwest aircraft reportedly flew over a crew and their vehicle. They were conducting a runway inspection at the time. Approximately two minutes after the incident, that ground crew inquired with the tower controller about the Southwest flight.

The air traffic controller informed ground crew that the tower was also closed during the incident. No air traffic controller spoke to the departing Southwest flight, which was supposed to use runway 18 or 36 for departure.

Both the FAA and NTSB are reportedly investigating this incident. It is not clear at this time how close the plane came to the ground vehicle. However, Southwest has attracted some attention in recent weeks due to a number of incidents and near misses, and this runway incident is one of them.

After the incident, the flight landed at its destination without further incident. The aircraft, a nineteen-year-old Boeing 737-700 with registration N7861J, has been in scheduled service ever since. This particular aircraft was first used by China Eastern Airlines. Southwest has had it in its fleet for around seven years.

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