Aircraft Drops Below 500 Feet, Prompting Federal Investigation
A Southwest Airlines flight narrowly avoided disaster as it dropped below 500 feet over an Oklahoma neighborhood. The Boeing 737, en route to Will Rogers World Airport from Las Vegas, set off a “low altitude alert” at 12:05 am Wednesday, confirmed by the Federal Aviation Administration. The incident has led to a federal investigation.
Close call during descent
Southwest Flight 4069, cleared to land in Oklahoma City, descended alarmingly low, passing near Yukon High School and setting off alarms. An air traffic controller urgently warned the crew, “Southwest 4069, low altitude alert. You doing OK?” The pilot responded, “Yeah, we’re going around. 4069.” The controller instructed them to maintain an altitude of 3,000 feet.
Flight path data
Flight tracking from Flightradar24 showed the aircraft dipped to 525 feet above ground level, nine miles from the airport. After regaining altitude and circling, it landed safely. The aircraft initially missed its designated landing area, causing the dangerous drop.
Resident reactions
Residents expressed their terror online. One person shared on Facebook, “Thought I was having cool dreams about airplanes other night but actually had a 737 buzz my house.” Another wrote, “It woke me up and I thought it was gonna hit my house,” according to Oklahoman.