News has emerged of a Southwest Airlines flight that was 150 feet from the ground in Tampa when on approach into the airport.
Information has been released pertinent to this incident, which we will get into in this article.
Without further ado, let’s get into it…
150 Feet from Crashing in Tampa!: Southwest Airlines Flight WN425 from Columbus…


Southwest Airlines flight WN425, which came within 150 feet of crashing in Tampa, was a routine scheduled flight between Columbus & Tampa.
It is understood the aircraft involved in the incident was N8841L.
As per data from Planespotters.net, N8841L is a 1.5 year old Boeing 737 MAX 8 that was delivered to the airline in February 2023.
Of the 737 MAX 8 variant, Southwest Airlines has 236 of them in their fleet.
Furthermore, of that 236, all but one are in active service, with an average age of 2.8 years.
The only grounded aircraft is the 737 MAX involved in the Dutch Roll incident last month.
As well as the 737 MAX 8, Southwest Airlines has the following other aircraft in their fleet:
- 376 Boeing 737-700s.
- 206 737-800s.
Southwest Airlines flight WN425 departed Columbus, Ohio at 1604 local time on July 14 and tracked south towards Tampa.
As has been noted, when the aircraft was on approach into Tampa, it descended as low as 150 feet with four miles left to go in the approach.
As per The Aviation Herald, air traffic control at the airport issued a low altitude alert to the aircraft.
After levelling off, they were eventually told to perform a go-around. This was 50 seconds after the low altitude alert.
Following that, the aircraft deviated away from Tampa, and proceeded to divert to Fort Lauderdale.
Southwest Airlines flight WN425 from Columbus to Tampa landed safely into Fort Lauderdale at 1945 local time without further incident.
Second Such Incident in a Month…

The incident on Southwest Airlines flight WN425 Columbus-Tampa is the second such incident involving the airline in a month.
Last month, the Federal Aviation Administration confirmed it was investigating an incident which saw a Southwest Airlines aircraft to send to unusually low level in the Oklahoma City area on 19 June.
Southwest Airlines flight WN4069, a Boeing 737-800 inbound from Las Vegas was approximately 9 miles from Will Rogers World Airport when the alert sounded.
According to flight data the aircraft descended following a clearance to make a visual approach to the airport.
The approaching aircraft apparently descended to approximately 500 feet as it overflew Yukon high school in a built-up area.
Overall…

Overall, many are suggesting that a pattern is beginning to emerge at Southwest Airlines following the second incident involving WN425 Columbus-Tampa, and coming within 150 feet of crashing.
Furthermore, it is unclear whether the FAA will apply any scrutiny to the airline because of this.
The FAA has done this this year already, with United Airlines, following a string of incidents in a two-week period.
That being said, with the second incident at hand, the weather in Tampa was nowhere near perfect conditions.
There was recorded thunderstorms and rain in the area, with the winds gusting around the airport.
As soon as we have more information pertinent to additional developments, we will update you accordingly.

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