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United States FAA probes low-flying Southwest Airlines flight near Oklahoma City

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) stated on Thursday it is investigating a Southwest Airlines flight that descended to a low elevation 9 miles (14.5 km) from the Oklahoma City airport.

The incident including Southwest Airlines Flight 4069, which had left from Las Vegas, happened around at 12:05 a.m. Wednesday, the FAA stated. After the automated Minimum Safe Altitude Caution sounded, an air traffic controller notified the flight team.

Southwest said it is following its Security Management System and is in contact with the FAA to understand and resolve any abnormalities with the aircraft's approach to the airport.

A number of events involving Southwest flights in current months have actually raised issues.

Asked on Monday if the incidents would trigger the firm to improve analysis of Southwest, as it has with United Airlines , FAA Administrator Mike Whitaker declined to comment. He stated the firm examined all airline events and carefully monitored providers.

The airline company oversight model is a pretty good model that we want to build out for other gamers in the system, Whitaker said.

Recently, the FAA and the U.S. National Transport Safety Board said they were examining a May 25 Southwest flight of a Boeing 737 MAX. The NTSB stated the aircraft experienced a Dutch roll at 34,000 feet while en path from Phoenix, to Oakland, California. Such lateral asymmetric motions are named after a Dutch ice-skating method and can pose severe safety threats.

The FAA stated last week it was likewise investigating a. Southwest 737 MAX 8 flight in April that came within about 400. feet of the ocean off the coast of Hawaii after bad weather condition. conditions triggered pilots to bypass a landing attempt at Lihue. airport, on the island of Kauai.

Throughout the go-around, the very first officer inadvertently. pushed forward on the control column while following thrust. lever movement commanded by the autothrottle, according to a. June 7 airline memo, and the airplane started to descend rapidly,. hitting a maximum descent rate of about 4,400 feet per minute.

The pilots in a post-debrief stated seeing the intensity of. the flight through the animations was a considerable, psychological. occasion, the Southwest memo said, adding the airline company is evaluating. data and trends connected to its treatments, training, standards,. and efficiency.

(source: Reuters)