Another Southwest Airlines flight came within 400 feet of crashing into the ocean off the coast of Hawaii due to poor weather conditions in April 2023
Boeing 737 Max 8 aircraft dropped from around 1,000 feet to just 400 feet above the ocean in a matter of seconds due to first officer's error
Captain quickly ordered an aggressive climb at 8,500 feet per minute to avoid disaster
Incident occurred due to inclement weather conditions that forced an aborted landing attempt at Lihue Airport
Less-experienced first officer inadvertently pushed forward on the control column, causing a rapid descent
No injuries reported among passengers or crew members
Southwest Airlines plane came dangerously close to crashing into the ocean off the coast of Hawaii during a descent on June 14, 2024
A Southwest Airlines plane came dangerously close to crashing into the ocean off the coast of Hawaii during a descent on June 14, 2024. According to multiple reports, the incident occurred due to inclement weather conditions that forced an aborted landing attempt at Lihue Airport.
Southwest Flight 2786, operated by a Boeing 737 Max 8 aircraft, dropped from an altitude of around 1,000 feet to just 400 feet above the ocean in a matter of seconds. The sudden descent was caused by the first officer inadvertently pushing forward on the controls while monitoring thrust levels.
To avoid disaster, the captain quickly ordered an aggressive climb at 8,500 feet per minute. No injuries were reported among passengers or crew members.
This incident is not an isolated case. In April 2023, another Southwest Airlines flight came within 400 feet of crashing into the ocean off the coast of Hawaii due to poor weather conditions that blocked runway visibility at Lihue Airport. The less-experienced first officer inadvertently pushed forward on the control column, causing a rapid descent.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is investigating both incidents. Southwest Airlines has pledged to review industry and internal data to determine if protocols and training need to be updated.
A Southwest Airlines Boeing 737 Max 8 aircraft came within 400 feet of the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Kauai after weather conditions forced pilots to change course.
The less-experienced first officer inadvertently pushed forward on the control column, causing the airplane to rapidly descend.
Accuracy
Another Southwest flight came close to crashing in the same area in 2022 due to poor weather conditions.
Deception
(10%)
The article contains selective reporting as it only mentions the incident with Southwest Airlines and does not mention any similar incidents with other airlines. It also uses sensational language in the title and body of the article to grab readers' attention.
, The incident occurred following an aborted landing attempt due to bad weather that blocked pilots from seeing the runway at the specified altitude.,
The memo noted that the captain opted to put the 'newer' first officer in command of the 100-mile interisland flight, despite the pending weather.
, The less-experienced first officer 'inadvertently' pushed forward on the control column, which controls the plane’s pitch and roll, then cut the speed, causing the airplane to rapidly descend.
,
> A Southwest Airlines Boeing 737 Max 8 aircraft came within 400 feet of slamming into the Pacific Ocean off the coast of the Hawaiian island of Kauai after weather conditions forced pilots to swiftly change course.
Fallacies
(85%)
The article contains a few inflammatory rhetorical elements and an appeal to authority. It uses phrases like 'hair-raising ride' to evoke strong emotions in the reader and emphasize the severity of the incident. Additionally, it references a previous United Airlines incident as an example of similar behavior, implying that Southwest should take measures to prevent such occurrences. The article also quotes a statement from Southwest Airlines regarding their commitment to safety and that they have addressed the event appropriately.
The aircraft dropped from nearly 16,000 feet to an altitude of 409 feet.
A Southwest Airlines Boeing 737 Max 8 aircraft came within 400 feet of slamming into the Pacific Ocean off the coast of the Hawaiian island of Kauai after weather conditions forced pilots to swiftly change course.
The interisland flight, which should have been approximately 22 minutes long, departed Honolulu at 6:45 p.m., but following the incident, the plane returned to Honolulu at 8:09 p.m.
A Southwest flight nearly crashed into the ocean due to a pilot error.
The less experienced first officer accidentally pushed the steering yoke forward in April 2023.
Accuracy
Another Southwest flight came close to crashing in the same area in 2022 due to poor weather conditions.
Deception
(50%)
The article contains selective reporting as it only mentions two incidents where a plane nearly crashed and both involve Southwest Airlines. It also implies that the less experienced pilot caused the crashes without providing any evidence to support this claim. The author also uses emotional manipulation by describing the near crashes as 'nearly crashed into the ocean' and 'plummeted from an altitude of 1000 feet down to just 400 feet above the ocean in only a few seconds'.
When warning alarms started going off in the cockpit, the captain commanded the first officer to accelerate, causing the plane to aggressively climb back up into the sky at a rate of 8,500 feet a minute.
Another flight almost crashed into the sea in the same area in 2022 due to poor weather conditions.
The pilot’s error caused a Southwest flight to nearly crash into the ocean, Bloomberg reported.
Fallacies
(95%)
The author uses the phrase 'let his' to imply that the captain made a deliberate and negligent decision in allowing the first officer to control the plane. However, it is not clear from the article that this was an intentional action on the part of the captain. This is an example of hasty generalization fallacy as it assumes that because one instance occurred, it must be a consistent pattern without sufficient evidence. The author also uses inflammatory language such as 'nearly crashed into the ocean' and 'plummeted from an altitude' to create a sensational narrative, which can manipulate readers' emotions and perceptions. Lastly, the author quotes Bloomberg report multiple times without explicitly stating that they are doing so, which can be considered a form of plagiarism.
The pilot’s error caused a Southwest flight to nearly crash into the ocean, Bloomberg reported.
Another flight almost crashed into the sea in the same area in 2022 due to poor weather conditions.
Southwest Airlines Flight 2786 came within 400 feet of crashing into the ocean off the coast of Hawaii
The first officer inadvertently pushed forward on controls causing rapid descent and sounded alarms
Captain ordered first officer to increase thrust causing aggressive climb at 8,500 feet per minute
Accuracy
The Boeing 737 Max 8 suddenly dropped several hundred feet in a matter of seconds before the flight crew was able to pull up
The plane dropped at an alarming rate of more than 4,000 feet per second
Deception
(70%)
The article contains selective reporting and sensationalism. The author focuses on the most dramatic aspects of the incident, such as the plane coming within 400 feet of crashing into the ocean and describing it as a 'roller coaster ride'. However, they do not provide any context about how common such incidents are or what safety measures were in place to prevent them. Additionally, they mention another unrelated incident involving a Singapore Airlines flight to sensationalize the Southwest incident further.
A Southwest Airlines flight came within just 400 feet of smashing into the ocean off the coast of Hawaii after aborting a landing due to weather conditions, according to a report.
It fell at an alarming rate of more than 4,000 feet per second, according to Bloomberg.
The scary mishap came just a month before a 73-year-old British man was killed when a Singapore Airlines Boeing flight hit severe turbulence Tuesday – plunging 6,000 feet and sending unrestrained travelers crashing into overhead bins.
Fallacies
(95%)
The article contains an example of an appeal to authority fallacy when the former commercial airline pilot and flight instructor, Kit Darby, is quoted stating 'It would feel like a roller coaster ride.' This statement is not a logical argument or proof that the plane was indeed experiencing a roller coaster-like experience. It is simply an opinion from an expert in the field. No other fallacies were found.
