The flight in Hawaii was 120 meters from crashing into the sea; US aviation agency investigates world

The US Civil Aviation Agency (FAA) revealed on Friday that a commercial Southwest Airlines flight experienced a sudden drop in altitude and came within 120 meters of touching the ocean.

The incident happened In April of this year in Hawaii According to the Federal Aviation Administration, which is investigating the case. The agency confirmed the case revealed by Bloomberg News on Friday.

The plane, a Boeing 737 Max, took off from Honolulu International Airport in Hawaii, and was scheduled to land at Lihue Airport on the island of Kauai, Hawaii as well.

But weather conditions forced the pilots to abort the landing attempt when they were at an altitude of about 300 metres. At that moment, according to a Southwest report seen by Bloomberg, the plane experienced a sudden plunge of 180 meters in seconds.

The flight data also revealed, according to the report, that the plane The plane descended and climbed almost out of control. Just before touching the sea, the pilots began a rapid climb and were able to regain altitude. Then they returned to the original airport.

No one was injured during the fall, according to the document.

The report also indicated that The commander assigned the co-pilot to fly the flight despite his knowledge of the “severe weather” conditions. On the flight path, making it impossible to see the runway, according to Bloomberg.

Although the case occurred in April, Southwest Airlines distributed the report to its pilots only last week Details of the incident, according to Bloomberg.

The Federal Aviation Administration confirmed the agency's information and said it had opened its own investigation into the case, with no results yet. In a statement issued Friday, Southwest said the pilots made the correct maneuver in this situation.

“Through our robust security management system, the incident was handled appropriately, as we always strive for continuous improvement,” the memo says.

But the company did not explain why the incident was not reported earlier.