Southwest flight flew just 150 feet above ground, tracking data shows

CNN
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A Southwest Airlines flight bound for Tampa, Florida, was flying at an altitude of just 150 feet (45 meters) above the ground while still nearly five miles (8 kilometers) from the airport, flight tracking data from Flightradar24 showed.

The flight from Columbus, Ohio, to Tampa last week ultimately bypassed Tampa International Airport and landed in Fort Lauderdale. It is the third reported case of a Southwest flight flying at an apparently dangerously low altitude 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 Federal Aviation Administration to understand and address irregularities,” Southwest’s statement said. “Nothing is more important to Southwest than the safety of our customers and employees.”

Flightradar24 says the previous three flights to Tampa were flying at an altitude of 1,225 feet at the same point in their descent, a sign of how far away Flight 425 was from where it probably should have been. The weather at the time was poor, with thunderstorms in the area.

The incident follows two other low-altitude incidents involving Southwest flights this year.

On June 19, Southwest Flight 4069 descended to just 525 feet above the ground, nine miles into Oklahoma City. On April 11, Southwest Flight 2786 flew just 400 feet above the ocean off the coast of the Hawaiian island of Kauai. At one point, that flight descended 4,000 feet per minute before climbing.