Boeing 737’s Sudden Descent Over Oklahoma Sparks Panic Among Residents
A Boeing 737 aircraft’s sudden plunge to 500 feet over Oklahoma alarms residents and prompts investigation by Southwest Airlines and the FAA.
United States, Bollywood Fever: A Boeing 737 aircraft suddenly plummeted to less than 500 feet over Oklahoma, alarming residents who feared the jet might crash.
Southwest Airlines Flight 4069 was still nine miles from Will Rogers World Airport just after midnight on Wednesday when it descended to between 400 and 500 feet as it flew over a high school in Yukon. Doorbell camera footage captured the Boeing 737 MAX-8 hovering above houses before flying out of frame.
A resident, startled awake by the plane’s engine, recounted, “It woke me up and I thought it was gonna hit my house,” on the Yukon Happenings Facebook page, as reported by The Oklahoman.
The sudden descent prompted air traffic control to contact the pilot to check on the flight’s status. “Southwest 4069, low altitude alert,” the air traffic controller said in an audio archive of the transmission. “You good out there?” The pilot confirmed there was no issue with the aircraft and quickly regained altitude from about 450 feet to over 1,000 feet as it crossed Yukon High School, eventually landing safely at the airport on a different runway. Air Traffic Control confirmed no issues with the Boeing 737 MAX-8.
However, the low approach and late hour caused concern among residents. Spencer Basoco told KFOR, “I was kind of like halfway in between sleep, being awake, and I just hear that WHOOSH. And I thought at first, like a storm was blowing in… because it just sounded like a wall of wind. And I looked out the window where the sound was coming from… if you go a few blocks away is the high school. And I just see a plane. I knew it wasn’t normal.”
Southwest Airlines is collaborating with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to investigate the incident. Southwest is following its robust Safety Management System and is in contact with the Federal Aviation Administration to understand and address any irregularities with the aircraft’s approach to the airport,” the airline said in a statement. “Nothing is more important to Southwest than the safety of our customers and employees.”
This incident comes as Boeing continues to face scrutiny for various safety concerns. Boeing has been under investigation for issues including broken landing gears, doors popping off mid-flight, and faulty software systems that led to catastrophic crashes in Indonesia in 2018 and Ethiopia in 2019.
In January, a door plug blew out of an Alaska Airlines 737 Max shortly after takeoff from Portland, Oregon. Current and former Boeing employees have accused the company of taking safety shortcuts. Investigations by the FAA, the National Transportation Safety Board, and the Justice Department are ongoing.
Recent allegations by whistleblower Sam Mohawk, a quality assurance investigator at Boeing’s 737 assembly plant, claim that “nonconforming” parts could be ending up in 737 Max jets. Mohawk also charged that Boeing hid evidence when the FAA planned to inspect the plant in June 2023.
The FAA has pledged to “thoroughly investigate” these allegations, noting an increase in safety concern reports from Boeing employees since the Alaska Airlines incident. On Capitol Hill, lawmakers have criticized Boeing CEO Dave Calhoun for the company’s safety issues. “Instead of asking what has caused Boeing’s safety culture to erode, you and your colleagues in the C-suite have deflected blame, looked the other way, and catered to your shareholders instead,” said Sen. Richard Blumenthal. “Boeing needs to stop thinking about the next earning call, and start thinking about the next generation.”
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