FAA Investigating After Southwest Flight Drops Dangerously Low Over Oklahoma City

Nina Golgowski
·2 min read

The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating after a Southwest Airlines flight descended dangerously low while approaching Oklahoma City’s airport early Wednesday from Las Vegas.

Flight 4069 was still nine miles from Will Rogers World Airport when its low altitude triggered an automated warning to air traffic control around 12:05 a.m. local time. Air traffic control then alerted the flight’s crew, the FAA said in a statement shared with HuffPost.

“Southwest 4069, low altitude alert. You good out there?” the air traffic controller asked, according to an archived recording of the incident obtained by LiveATC.net.

A Southwest Airlines aircraft is pictured flying out of the Los Angeles International Airport.
A Southwest Airlines aircraft is pictured flying out of the Los Angeles International Airport. Kevin Carter via Getty Images

“Yeah, we’ll go around,” the pilot affirmed while announcing that they will not continue with their initial approach. The controller responded by advising the crew to maintain an altitude of 3,000 feet while circling.

The flight, at its lowest, descended to approximately 525 feet over the neighboring city of Yukon before pulling up, according to the flight tracking website FlightRadar24. Its sudden drop over a high school and neighborhood got people on social media inquiring about it and sharing fears that their house was about to get hit, The Oklahoman reported.

A representative for Southwest Airlines said in a statement to HuffPost Friday that it is in contact with the FAA “to understand and address any irregularities with the aircraft’s approach to the airport.”

“Nothing is more important to Southwest than the Safety of our Customers and Employees,” the statement added.

The incident comes roughly a week after it was first reported that another Southwest Airlines flight suddenly dropped thousands of feet while flying to a Hawaiian island in April.

The plane came within 400 feet of striking the ocean amid rough weather. No one was injured on the flight, which returned to its departure airport, according to Bloomberg.

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