Southwest Airlines is being investigated by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) after a Boeing 737 from the carrier triggered a low-altitude alert as it readied to land Wednesday at Oklahoma City.
An automated warning went off from the Minimum Safe Altitude Warning system at 12:05 a.m., prompting an air traffic controller to tell the flight they had descended to a low altitude, nine miles from the runway at Will Rogers World Airport in Oklahoma City, an FAA spokesperson said per an ABC News report.
Southwest Airlines Flight 4069 passed over Yukon High School, precipitously low at roughly 625 feet, and at one point had descended to roughly 525 feet, according to FlightRadar24.
Doorbell camera footage reportedly showed the Boeing 737 MAX-8 then crossing above houses before it flies out of frame.
Terrified residents were woken by the plane and feared it would hit their homes. “It woke me up and I thought it was gonna hit my house,” one person wrote in a local Facebook group, according to the Oklahoman.
Another said: “Thought I was having cool dreams about airplanes other night but actually had a 737 buzz my house.”
In a statement Thursday night, Southwest said it is in contact with the FAA “to understand and address any irregularities with the aircraft’s approach to the airport.”
“Nothing is more important to Southwest than the Safety of our Customers and Employees,” the company’s statement read.
The Oklahoma event marks the second recent incident involving a Southwest flight on airport approach.
In April, the crew of Southwest Flight 2786 aborted its approach into Lihue Airport on the island of Kauai but descended to 400 feet above the Pacific Ocean instead of climbing, CNN reports.
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