A Southwest Airlines plane plunged several hundred feet coming dangerously close to crashing into the ocean after an aborted landing, a report says.
The Boeing 737 Max 8 was near Hawaii when it had to abort the landing due to weather conditions in April, before it dropped several hundred feet in just seconds - far quicker than the typical rate of 1,500 to 2,000 feet per minute. But the fast-acting crew managed to pull the plane back up and avoid smashing into the ocean after the drop from a 1,000 feet altitude.
The plane rapidly climbed after the alarming ordeal, which took place on the short flight from Honolulu to Lihue Airport. Former commercial airline pilot and flight instructor Kit Darby said the pilot was “pitching up and pitching down with the power and close to out of control — very close,” adding that it would “feel like a roller coaster ride”.
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As a result of the sharter-than-usual flight time, the plane’s captain had put a “newer” first officer in control of Southwest Flight 2786, a memo obtained by Bloomberg read. But when weather conditions blocked the view of the runway upon approach, the pilot decided to abort the landing.
But the first officer reportedly “inadvertently” pushed forward on the controls as he monitored the thrust level - which adjusts based on the plane’s automatic throttle. The pilot therefore decided to cut off the speed, causing the plane to make its speedy descent.
The captain quickly ordered his co-pilot to increase thrust causing the plane to rapidly ascend at an “aggressive” rate of 8,500 feet per minute, according to the memo, before the plane landed safely back in Honolulu. The FAA is now investigating the incident.
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SouthWest Airlines said in a statement to the New York Post: “Nothing is more important to Southwest than Safety. Through our robust Safety Management System, the event was addressed appropriately as we always strive for continuous improvement.” It added that better communication is vital between crew members, pledging to review internal data to assess whether their staff require further training.
It came a month before a Singapore Airlines flight hit severe turbulence on May 21, with a 73-year-old Brit killed as travellers without seatbelts went flying into the top of the plane interior. The Boeing flight reportedly plummeted 6,000 feet, injuring a further 30 passengers on the way to Singapore from London.
Due to a change in gravitational force, those who weren’t belted in became “airborne”, with a second shift as the plane corrected itself causing them to crash back down into the flight, according to the Transport Safety Investigation Bureau of Singapore.