Southwest Airlines Boeing 737 MAX 8 issues low altitude warning as it reaches 150 feet over Tampa Bay

Summary

• Southwest Airlines has issued a statement after a flight to Tampa, Florida, was only 150 feet above the water during approach.
• This is the fifth known safety incident for Southwest this year.
• The flight aborted the landing and was safely diverted to Fort Lauderdale.

Dallas-based Southwest Airlines has launched an investigation after a flight triggered a low-altitude warning while approaching Tampa International Airport (TPA) earlier this week. In inclement weather, the plane came dangerously close to the waters of Tampa Bay – reportedly reaching an altitude of 150 feet.

The flight was operated by a Boeing 737 MAX 8. This is the third accident in which a Southwest aircraft came dangerously close to the ground or water on final approach and the fifth safety-related incident this year.

Flight data

The horrific ordeal was first announced in a video posted on Friday by a YouTube channel titled “You Can See ATC.” The plane, registration N8841L, was operating flight WN425 on Sunday, departing from John Glenn Columbus International Airport (CMH) in Ohio. According to data from Flightradar24 and FlightAware, the flight was scheduled to take off at 4:00 p.m., but did not leave its gate until 2:04 p.m. About 10 minutes later, it was airborne and heading south.

After 20 minutes of flight time, the aircraft reached its initial altitude of 33,000 feet and climbed to 34,000 feet another 20 minutes later. Flight data shows that while flying over southern Georgia, the aircraft descended to 21,000 feet and entered a holding pattern, likely due to the thunderstorms that had affected most of central and western Florida by that time.

The 737 MAX 8 remained in the holding pattern for approximately 50 minutes before exiting and continuing to descend to 19,000 feet. About two and a half hours into the flight, it was flying south, just west of Florida, and appeared to have begun its final descent. Twenty minutes later, it was aligned for approach to runway 10 at the TPA.

“Check your altitude”

Over Tampa Bay, flight data shows the plane reached a dangerously low altitude while it was estimated to be between two and three miles from the airport. At around 7:05 p.m. EDT, Flightradar24 indicated it reached 175 feet just before crossing State Road 60 (SR60), but ADS-B data indicates the plane descended to 150 feet, according to the ATC video.

An air traffic controller then asked the pilots to check their altitude and make sure that the aircraft’s altimeter – the instrument used to determine the correct altitude for aircraft – was set correctly.

“Southwest 425, low level alert, check your altitude. Tampa’s altimeter reads 30.14.”

One of the pilots then replied: “14/30 Thank you, Southwest 425.”

As the plane approached TPA, it began to gain altitude. By the time it reached the airport, it was above 2,000 feet, indicating that it was aborting the landing.

“Southwest 425, are you planning a detour?” asked the controller.

A pilot then replied: “Yes, that’s us. We have to go. Southwest 425.”

Air traffic control instructed the pilots to maintain their course and climb to 3,000 feet. However, the plane continued to climb and changed course. Data shows that it was diverted to Fort Lauderdale–Hollywood International Airport (FLL), where weather conditions were much more favorable. The plane landed safely at 7:46 p.m.

A Southwest spokesperson confirmed the incident in a statement to Simple Flying on Saturday.

“Southwest Flight 425 was safely diverted to Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport on July 14 after the crew aborted its scheduled approach to Tampa International Airport. The aircraft returned to Tampa after a short period on the ground in Fort Lauderdale.”

Unfortunately, the budget airline has made several headlines this year for similar safety-related incidents. Last month, a 737-700 took off from a closed runway in Portland, Maine, prompting an investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). The incident occurred just days before a 737-800 triggered a low-level warning when it reached 500 feet while nine miles from Will Rogers World Airport (OKC) in Oklahoma City.

During a flight from Phoenix to Oakland in May, a 737 MAX 8 suffered a “Dutch roll,” in which the tail of an airplane slides and causes a back-and-forth rocking motion. In April, another 737 MAX 8 came within 400 feet of the ocean on approach to Lihue, Hawaii, and recovered just seconds before disaster could have struck.

“Southwest follows its robust safety management system and is in contact with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to understand and correct any irregularities,” explained the spokesman. “Nothing is more important to Southwest than the safety of our customers and employees.”

In light of recent incidents, the FAA may increase its oversight of Southwest. The agency regulated United Airlines and suspended some of its certification activities due to a series of safety incidents at the airline.