Boeing plane drops within 400ft of the ocean in terrifying fall from sky

A Southwest Airlines flight is under investigation after an aircraft dropped within 400 feet of the ocean following an aborted landing attempt.

The Boeing 737 MAX 8, which had been flying between cities from Honolulu to Lihue airport in Kauai, plunged at a maximum descent rate of about 4,400 feet per minute off the coast of Hawaii before climbing back up to safety.

As the plane approached Hawaii, bad weather conditions prompted pilots to bypass a landing attempt on April 11.

During the go-around – which is when a plane flies back up in the air after deciding not to complete the landing – the first officer ‘inadvertently pushed forward on the control column while following thrust lever movement commanded by the autothrottle,’ a memo seen by the Reuters news agency says.

This sent the aircraft dangerously close to hitting the Pacific Ocean.

Safety data also showed that the crew received a ‘DON’T SINK oral warning’ followed by a ‘PULL UP oral warning,’ but the first officer later explained the warnings were not heard by the crew.

No passenger or crew members were injured in the manoeuvre. 

In a post-incident debrief, the pilots reportedly described seeing the severity of the flight’s movements through an animated recreation as a ‘significant, emotional event.’

According to the memo added the crew participated in comprehensive corrective actions, and that the event prompted the airline to review data and trends related to its procedures, training, standards, and performance.

Southwest said in a statement last week that ‘the event was addressed appropriately as we always strive for continuous improvement.’

This comes mere weeks after a separate incident in which Southwest Airlines Boeing 737 MAX 8 suffered damage to its infrastructure during a flight from Phoenix to Oakland in California on May 25.

Boeing 737-800s are the generation of 737s before the newer MAXs, which have been hit with a series of safety concerns following accidents such as the Alaska Airlines window blowout. 

In the early hours of Monday morning, a different plane bound for Melbourne, Australia, performed an emergency landing in the New Zealand city of Invercargill after one of its engines caught fire mid-flight. The plane was able to land safely and all crews and passengers were evacuated. 

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