According to Southwest’s assessment, the incident occurred after an aborted landing attempt due to bad weather that prevented the pilots from seeing the runway at a certain altitude.

The captain chose to put the “newer” first officer in command on the short flight to Lihue despite the predictions, the memo said.

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The less experienced first officer ‘accidentally’ pushed forward on the steering column. The pilot then reduced speed, causing the plane to descend. Shortly afterwards, a warning system sounded indicating that the aircraft was getting too close to the surface and the captain ordered the first officer to increase thrust. The plane then “climbed aggressively” at a speed of 8,500 feet per minute, the memo said.

Flights preparing for a landing normally glide downward at a rate of 1,500 to 2,000 feet per minute early in the approach, Darby said, and slowly down to 800 feet, about five miles from the airport.

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The National Transportation Safety Board is not aware of the Southwest incident, a spokesperson said. The Southwest Airlines Pilots Association declined to comment.

Southwest declined to provide the flight number or specify the date of the incident, citing an FAA-monitored safety program that allows pilots and other employees to report concerns anonymously.

In its assessment of the recent accident, the airline concluded that proper monitoring of pilots and better communication between crew members are crucial. It pledged, among other things, to review industry and internal data related to its procedures and training protocols.

In May, a passenger died and more than 70 others were injured, including eight Australians, after a Singapore Airlines flight encountered severe turbulence, throwing passengers and crew throughout the cabin and forcing the plane to land in Bangkok.

The Southwest incident is reminiscent of an event that occurred in December 2022, when a United Airlines Holdings flight came within about 750 feet of the ocean after suddenly landing shortly after taking off from another airport in Hawaii. That incident was investigated by both the FAA and the NTSB, which found that the accident was the result of miscommunication between the plane’s pilots.

The pilots involved in that flight received additional training following the incident.

Bloomberg

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