A Southwest passenger shared footage from aboard a flight that came terrifyingly close to the ocean as it touched down.
Nancy Allen had been aboard the Boeing 737 MAX 8 operated by the airline traveling from Columbus, Ohio, to Tampa, Florida earlier this month.
With just four miles to go before landing in Tampa, Flight 425 crashed just 175 feet above the ground.
An air traffic controller had to alert the crew on board about its low altitude, causing the plane to divert to Fort Lauderdale, about 200 miles away.
Allen frantically texted her husband on board after panic began to set in on board the flight.
Allen, pictured here, frantically texted her husband on board after panic began to set in on board the flight.
A FlightAware altitude graph shows how close the plane came to crashing into the ground (the second-to-last drop) before it abruptly descended.
Speaking to WFLA, he told the outlet: ‘I I was worried that we were flying through a storm in Tampa, so I opened the window.
“I was watching as we approached, we were going over MacDill Air Force Base and I know you can’t fly over MacDill Air Force Base, it was just a single approach.”
Cellphone footage shows the plane climbing again after attempting to land in Tampa, before being rerouted to Fort Lauderdale.
Allen said it was at that moment that he knew something was wrong, adding: “I felt a little bit of panic.
‘At that point I panicked and started texting my husband: ‘This is suspicious’ and I was writing: ‘Abort, abort.’
Although the flight eventually landed safely, Allen said he still wonders what exactly happened on board.
He added: “This was the worst flight I’ve been on in a long time.”
The nature of the incident is now being investigated by the Federal Aviation Administration.
With the plane still four miles from landing in Tampa, flight data showed it had landed just under 200 feet above the ground.
Several grounded Southwest Airlines Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft are shown parked at Victorville Airport in California, in March 2019.
A statement from the airline said: ‘Southwest Flight 425 safely diverted to Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport on July 14 after the crew aborted their planned approach to Tampa International Airport.
‘The aircraft returned to Tampa after a brief time on the ground in Fort Lauderdale. Southwest is following its robust Safety Management System and is in contact with the Federal Aviation Administration to understand and address any irregularities on the aircraft’s final approach.’
‘Nothing is more important to Southwest than the safety of our customers and employees.’
This incident comes after an incredibly similar incident late last month, when a Boeing 737 operated by the airline went down less than 500 feet over Oklahoma.
The flight was nine miles from Will Rogers World Airport when it plunged between 400 and 500 feet while flying over a high school in the town of Yukon.
Doorbell camera footage showed the Boeing 737 MAX-8 hovering over the homes, before moving out of frame.
One resident was startled awake by the plane’s engine and wondered if the aircraft was prepared for a collision.
The Boeing 737 MAX has been plagued by accusations of cutting corners by Boeing, which was blamed for two fatal crashes in 2018 and 2019.
There is still no indication whether this week’s drama in Tampa was caused by the aircraft or by pilot error.
