Southwest Flight Flies Dangerously Low Over Tampa

The FAA is investigating why a recent Southwest Airlines jet flew dangerously low:

• No, it's not the one in Oklahoma that came within 500 feet of the ground.
• And it's not the one in Hawaii that dipped close to the ocean.
• This is a third flight, one that dropped to an alarmingly low 150 feet above the ground about three miles from its destination in Tampa, Florida, on July 14, reports Flightradar24.

The Boeing 737 Max 8 out of Columbus, Ohio, was apparently on its final descent a few miles from the Tampa airport about 6pm when an air traffic controller alerted the pilots to the low altitude and asked them to check that their altimeter was working OK, reports WFLA and SimpleFlying. A post at Quartz adds some context, noting that the plane's wingspan is a shade under 120 feet. The plane then climbed back to about 2,000 feet, but it was eventually diverted to Fort Lauderdale—possibly because of rainy weather in Tampa—where the plane landed safely.

"Southwest is following its robust Safety Management System and is in contact with the Federal Aviation Administration to understand and address any irregularities," said a spokesperson for the airline. (Also this year, a Southwest jet did a "Dutch roll" over Oakland, which is also under FAA investigation.)