FAA investigating after Southwest Airlines plane descended dangerously low on airport approach

Written by ABC Audio ALL RIGHTS RESERVED on June 21, 2024

(OKLAHOMA CITY) — The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating after a Southwest Airlines plane descended to a dangerously low altitude as it made its approach to the Oklahoma City Airport just after midnight Thursday, according to the FAA.

An automated warning went off from the Minimum Safe Altitude Warning system at 12:05 a.m., prompting an air traffic controller to tell Southwest Airlines Flight 4069 that they had descended to a low altitude, nine miles from the runway at Will Rogers World Airport in Oklahoma City, an FAA spokesperson said.

The plane passed over Yukon High School, dangerously low at roughly 625 feet, and at one point had descended to roughly 525 feet, according to FlightRadar24.

In a statement Thursday night, Southwest said it is in contact with the FAA “to understand and address any irregularities with the aircraft’s approach to the airport.”

“Nothing is more important to Southwest than the Safety of our Customers and Employees,” the company’s statement read.