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The wingspan of a Boeing 737 Max 8 plane is just under 118 feet — and a recent Southwest flight involving that aircraft wasn’t that much further above Tampa Bay despite still being 3 miles out from the airport.
The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating what led to the dangerously low altitude on Flight 425 from Columbus, Ohio to Tampa Bay, Fla., on July 14, according to CNBC. Flightradar24 data indicated that the Boeing 737 Max plane operated by Southwest Airlines descended to 175 feet, triggering an air traffic controller to send a warning to the pilots. The flight was diverted to Fort Lauderdale where it landed safely.
The incident is putting Southwest back in the hot seat after other flights operated by the airline have dropped to very low altitudes. In April, Southwest flight 2786 came within 400 feet of crashing into the Pacific Ocean near Hawaii. In June, Southwest flight 4069 dropped to just 525 feet when it was still about 9 miles from the airport in Oklahoma City. And in May, a Southwest Airlines-operated 737 Max 8 was grounded for more than week after crucial parts were damaged during so-called “Dutch roll,” in which a plane twists and spins at the same time in mid-air.
Southwest told Reuters on Saturday that it’s working with the FAA “to understand and address any irregularities” in relation to the July 14 incident. “Nothing is more important to Southwest than the safety of our customers and employees,” the airline said.
Melvin Backman contributed to this article.