Gary Hirschhorn/Corbis News/Getty Images/File
Southwest Airlines aircraft, shown here in service at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, have been involved in several low-altitude accidents in 2024.
CNN
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Flight tracking data from Flightradar24 showed that a Southwest Airlines plane as it approached Tampa, Florida, flew as low as 150 feet off the ground while still approximately five miles from the airport.
The flight from Columbus, Ohio, to Tampa last week ended with a bypass of Tampa International Airport and a landing in Fort Lauderdale. Third case reported in the southwest Low-flying flights seem dangerous this year.
“Southwest Flight 425 safely diverted to Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport on July 14 after the crew aborted their planned approach to Tampa International Airport. The aircraft returned to Tampa after a short time on the ground in Fort Lauderdale,” Southwest said in a statement.
The Federal Aviation Administration says it is investigating the incident.
“Southwest follows its robust safety management system and is in contact with the FAA to understand and address any violations,” Southwest said in a statement. “Nothing is more important to Southwest than the safety of our customers and employees.”
Flightradar24 says the three previous flights to Tampa had all flown at 1,225 feet at the same landing point, an indication of how far away Flight 425 was from where it was supposed to be. The weather at the time was poor, with thunderstorms in the area.
The incident comes after two other low-altitude accidents involving Southwest flights this year.
on June 19Southwest Flight 4069 landed at 525 feet above ground Nine miles from Oklahoma City. April 11Southwest Airlines Flight 2786 was flying just 400 feet above the ocean off the coast of the Hawaiian island of Kauai. At one point, the flight was descending at 4,000 feet per minute before climbing.
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