FAA probing low-flying Southwest Airlines Boeing flight over Florida

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is investigating a Southwest Airlines flight that flew at a very low altitude over its intended destination before landing somewhere else.

Southwest flight 425 left John Glenn Columbus International Airport in Columbus, Ohio, at 4:04 p.m. July 14, according to aviation website FlightAware. The Boeing 737 MAX 8 was headed for Tampa International Airport in Tampa, Florida. It was about three miles away when it dropped to as low as about 175 feet, according to data obtained by Reuters. An air traffic controller alerted the crew of Southwest Flight 425 to their low altitude and the plane was diverted to Fort Lauderdale, which is 200 miles away.

“Southwest Flight 425 safely diverted to Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport on July 14 after the Crew discontinued their planned approach into Tampa International Airport. The aircraft returned to Tampa after a short time on the ground in Fort Lauderdale,” Southwest Airlines said in a statement to FOX Business. “Southwest is following its robust Safety Management System and is in contact with the Federal Aviation Administration to understand and address any irregularities. Nothing is more important to Southwest than the Safety of our Customers and Employees.”

Over the last few months, Southwest has had several other flights that have raised safety concerns. 

SOUTHWEST FLIGHT HEADING FOR OKLAHOMA CITY DIVES TO 500 FEET ABOVE NEIGHBORHOOD

In April, a Southwest 737 flight came within about 400 feet of the ocean off Hawaii after the first officer inadvertently pushed forward on the control column and the plane hit a maximum descent rate of about 4,400 feet per minute.

SOUTHWEST AIRLINES BOEING JET ‘DUTCH ROLL’ PROMPTS FAA INVESTIGATION

Southwest Airlines check-in area at Tampa International Airport in Tampa, Florida, on Tuesday, Sept. 27, 2022. (Eva Marie Uzcategui/Bloomberg via Getty Images / Getty Images)

A Southwest Airlines Boeing 737 Max 8 airplane in Baltimore. The FAA is investigating an incident on a May 25 flight from Phoenix to Oakland, California. (Angus Mordant/Bloomberg via Getty Images / Getty Images)

Both the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board and the FAA are investigating a Southwest Boeing 737 MAX flight on May 25 that experienced a “Dutch roll” at 34,000 feet while en route from Phoenix to Oakland, California. Such lateral asymmetric movements are named after a Dutch ice skating technique and can pose serious safety risks.

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The same two federal agencies told FOX Business that they are also looking into an incident that occurred at Portland International Jetport in Maine on June 25, when a Southwest Airlines flight took off from a closed runway. 

FOX Business’ Daniella Genovese and Reuters contributed to this report.