According to Southwest's review, the incident occurred after an aborted landing attempt due to inclement weather that prevented the pilots from seeing the runway at a specified altitude.
The captain chose to put the “new” first officer in command of the short flight to Lihue despite the forecasts, according to the memo.
loading
The less experienced first officer “inadvertently” advanced the control column. The pilot then reduced speed, causing the plane to descend. Soon after, a warning system sounded alarms indicating that the jet was getting too close to the surface, and the captain ordered the first officer to increase thrust. The plane “climbed aggressively” at 8500 feet per minute, the memo said.
Flights preparing for a landing typically glide to 1500 to 2000 feet per minute before the approach, Darby said, and slow to 800 feet about five miles from the airport.
loading
The National Transportation Safety Board is not aware of the Southwest incident, a spokesman said. The Southwest Airlines Pilots Association declined to comment.
Southwest declined to provide the flight number or specify the date of the incident, citing a safety program overseen by the FAA under which pilots and other employees can report concerns anonymously.
The carrier concluded in its review of the recent mishap that adequate pilot control and better communication between crew members is critical. Among other steps, it committed to reviewing internal and industry data related to its training procedures and protocols.
In May, one passenger died and more than 70 others were injured, including eight Australians, after a Singapore Airlines flight hit severe turbulence, throwing passengers and crew around the cabin and forcing the plane to land in Bangkok.
The Southwest incident recalls an event that occurred in December 2022 when a United Airlines Holdings flight came about 750 feet into the ocean after suddenly plummeting shortly after takeoff from a different airport from Hawaii. The incident was investigated by both the FAA and the NTSB, which found that the mishap was the result of miscommunication between the plane's pilots.
The pilots involved in this flight received additional training as a result of the incident.
Bloomberg
Get a note directly from our foreigner correspondents about what is making headlines around the world. Subscribe to the What in the World weekly newsletter here.
