FAA investigating after Southwest Airlines flight quickly drops to within 400 feet of ocean

HONOLULU (KHNL/Gray News) - The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating after a Southwest Airlines flight suddenly dropped thousands of feet while traveling to a Hawaiian island.

Bloomberg reported that the plane came within 400 feet of the ocean.

The April 11 flight was reportedly an inter-island hop from the main Honolulu airport to Lihue airport on the neighboring island of Kauai.

A Southwest Airlines memo to pilots said a less-experienced first officer inadvertently pushed the control column forward, then cut the speed, causing cockpit alarms to go off before the captain ordered an aggressive climb.

The internal memo said the pilots decided to abort a landing due to bad weather and ended up flying back to the Daniel K. Inouye International Airport in Honolulu.

The FAA said it has opened an investigation after learning of the incident.

According to multiple reports, flight tracking data showed the plane dropping at a rate of more than 4,000 feet per minute.

Southwest Airlines released the following statement regarding the situation:

“Nothing is more important to Southwest than Safety. Through our robust Safety Management System, the event was addressed appropriately, as we always strive for continuous improvement.”