A Southwest Airlines flight nearly
crashed into the ocean off Hawaii, but tragedy was averted.
The incident happened two months ago in April and was
blamed on pilot error when the captain led a ‘newer’ first officer take control
of the plane.
The first officer apparently inadvertently put the plane
into a dive as it approached Kauai's Lihue Airport. At one point, it
was estimated to be just 400 feet above the water. After warning signals went
off, the pilot commanded the first officer to gain altitude and the plane did
at a rate of 8,500 feet per minute, according to a memo obtained by Bloomberg.
The
flight returned to Honolulu.
There
were no reported injuries.
"Nothing
is more important to Southwest than safety," Southwest Airlines said in a
statement to Bloomberg. "Through our robust Safety Management System, the
event was addressed appropriately as we always strive for continuous
improvement."
Southwest is already
under investigation by the Federal Aviation Administration from an incident
earlier this year.
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