A Southwest passenger has shared footage aboard a flight that dropped terrifyingly close to the ocean as they came into land.
Nancy Allen had been onboard the Boeing 737 MAX 8 operated by the airline travelling from Columbus, Ohio, to Tampa, Florida earlier this month.
While still four miles away from touching down in Tampa, flight data showed it plummeted to just 175 feet above the ground.
An air traffic controller had to alert the crew onboard the flight of their low altitude, which saw the plane diverted to Fort Lauderdale some 200 miles away.
Allen frantically sent her husband text messages onboard after panic started to set in onboard the flight.
Allen, seen here, frantically sent her husband text messages onboard after panic started to set in onboard the flight
A FlightAware altitude graphic shows just how close the plane came to slamming into the ground – the second to last dip – before scending sharply
Speaking with WFLA, she told the outlet: ‘I was concerned we were flying in a Tampa storm, so I opened my window.
‘I was watching how we were approaching, we were coming around MacDill air force base and I know you can’t fly over MacDill force base, it was just a unique approach.’
Cell phone footage of the flight shows the plane ascending back up after trying to land in Tampa, before it is then redirected to Fort Lauderdale.
Allen said it was in that moment, she knew something was wrong adding: ‘I was feeling a little panic.
‘At that moment I panicked, and I started texting my husband this is sketchy and I was texting him, abort, abort.’
With the flight eventually landing safely, Allen said she still wonders about what exactly happened onboard.
She added: ‘That was the worst flight I have been on in a really long time’.
The nature of the incident is now being investigated by the Federal Aviation Administration.
While still four miles away from touching down in Tampa, flight data showed it plummeted to just less than 200 feet from the ground
A number of grounded Southwest Airlines Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft are shown parked at Victorville Airport in California, March, 2019
A statement from the airline said: ‘Southwest Flight 425 safely diverted to Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport on July 14 after the Crew discontinued their planned approach into Tampa International Airport.
‘The aircraft returned to Tampa after a short time on the ground in Fort Lauderdale. Southwest is following its robust Safety Management System and is in contact with the Federal Aviation Administration to understand and address any irregularities with the aircraft’s final approach.
‘Nothing is more important to Southwest than the Safety of our Customers and Employees.’
This incident comes after an incredibly similar incident late last month when a Boeing 737 operated by the airline dropped to less than 500 feet over Oklahoma.
The flight was nine miles away from Will Rogers World Airport when it dived to between 400 and 500 feet as it flew over a high school in the city of Yukon.
Doorbell camera footage showed the Boeing 737 MAX-8 then hovering above houses, before it flies out of frame.
A resident was startled awake by the plane’s engine and wondered if the aircraft was set for a collision.
The Boeing 737 MAX has been plagued by claims of corner-cutting by Boeing, which was blamed for two deadly crashes in 2018 and 2019.
There is not yet any indication as to whether this week’s Tampa drama was caused by the aircraft or pilot error.
