Southwest Airlines Boeing plane has 'near catastrophe' after flying dangerously low just 150ft above water while still four miles from the Tampa airport runway

Passengers connected committee a Southwest Airlines level bound for Tampa were seconds from catastrophe erstwhile it descended to conscionable 150 feet supra oversea level contempt being a afloat 4 miles from nan runway. 

The incident occurred July 14 and progressive a one-year-old Boeing 737 MAX 8 which near Columbus, Ohio, astir 4 p.m. and was owed to onshore successful Florida astatine 6:10. The formation was delayed somewhat while successful nan aerial owed to immoderate adverse weather. 

The attack successful Tampa was not clear either, pinch rainfall and beardown winds reported. The level was rerouted to a runway that it not typically utilized by commercialized airlines astatine Tampa world but was being utilized because of nan weather. 

As nan pitchy cruised complete Tampa Bay, it was astatine 1 constituent conscionable 150 feet supra nan water. That altitude is conscionable a small spot much than nan full wingspan of nan 737 MAX 8. 

By comparison, nan formation successful beforehand of this Southwest level was besides a 737 MAX 8 and was maintaining an altitude of 1,300 feet.  

The level could person collapsed into nan Courtney Campbell Causeway had it not been for a speedy reasoning aerial postulation controller who alerted nan pilots telling them: 'Check your altitude.'

Audio from nan incident sees nan aviator stay calm arsenic their issued a debased altitude alert. The brace past accrued altitude again to 1,600 feet. 

Due to nan weather, nan formation was rerouted to Fort Lauderdale, 200 miles away, wherever it landed safely astir 7:45pm section time. 

One retired aviator told Fox Tampa Bay that it's 'hard to believe' nan pilots could person allowed nan level to spell truthful debased pinch truthful galore instruments connected committee to pass for situations for illustration this. 

'It comes down to nan pilots. On immoderate approach, particularly successful bad weather, which they were encountering astatine nan time, it's imperative that they activity together arsenic a crew,' Kent Davis told nan station.

'They either started their descent astatine nan incorrect constituent and descended reasoning that they were connected nan due descent complaint to nan runway, aliases thing whitethorn person malfunctioned.' 

'Southwest Flight 425 safely diverted to Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport connected July 14 aft nan unit discontinued their planned attack into Tampa International Airport,' nan hose said successful a statement. 

The July 14 formation followed a similar incident past period successful Oklahoma City successful which a Southwest pitchy flew astatine an unusually debased altitude while still miles from nan airport.

The Federal Aviation Administration said Monday that it is investigating nan incident.

Dallas-based Southwest said it is successful interaction pinch nan FAA 'to understand and reside immoderate irregularities. Nothing is much important to Southwest than nan information of our customers and employees.'

An aerial postulation controller reached retired to that unit aft getting an automated informing successful nan power tower. The level circled nan airdrome – a 'go-around' – earlier making an uneventful landing.

In April, a Southwest formation went into a dive disconnected nan seashore of Hawaii and came wrong 400 feet of nan water earlier nan level began to climb. 

The National Transportation Safety Board is besides investigating a Southwest pitchy that did an different 'Dutch roll' and was discovered to person harm to its tail aft a formation from Phoenix to Oakland, California. Investigators opportunity nan level had been parked extracurricular during a terrible storm.