The Federal Aviation Administration is currently investigating a Southwest Airlines flight that descended to a dangerously low altitude of just 525 feet above ground as it approached Will Rogers World Airport in Oklahoma City on Wednesday. This descent triggered an altitude warning from air traffic control, alerting the pilots that they were getting too close to the ground.
According to flight tracking information from FlightRadar24, Southwest flight 4069 was approximately 9 miles from the airport, over Yukon, Oklahoma, when it descended to this low altitude just after midnight on Wednesday.
A recording from air traffic control by LiveATC.net captured a controller stating, “Southwest 4069 low altitude alert. You good out there?” Unfortunately, the pilots’ response is not audible in the recording.
However, the plane was able to recover from the low altitude descent. After the descent stopped, the Boeing 737-800 briefly climbed and then successfully landed at Oklahoma City, as indicated by tracking data.
The FAA is currently investigating the incident where Southwest Airlines Flight 4069 descended to a low altitude near Will Rogers World Airport in Oklahoma City. An automated warning alerted the air traffic controller who then informed the crew. Southwest Airlines has been in contact with the FAA regarding the matter. The airline emphasizes that the safety of their customers and employees is their top priority and they are following their Safety Management System to address any issues with the aircraft’s approach to the airport.
This is the second recent incident where a Southwest flight narrowly avoided crashing. In April, the crew of Southwest Flight 2786 decided not to land at Lihue Airport in Kauai and instead descended to just 400 feet above the Pacific Ocean.
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