A Boeing 737 Max of Southwest Airlines, the largest low-cost airline in the world, came within a few meters of sinking into the sea in the Hawaiian Islands, in particular due to a wrong maneuver by the first officer with little experience and put at the controls in weather conditions that were not at all easy . The aircraft then returned to the departure airport without further problems, after touching a minimum of 122 meters from the water at a speed of 420 kilometers per hour. But according to experts, the matter highlights some critical issues in the training of young pilots which must be resolved as soon as possible.
The internal note
The fact, first revealed by Bloombergis confirmed by the internal memo that the airline sent to the flight personnel on 7 June and of which the Courier got a copy. The press agency does not reveal the exact date of the flight – not even the company information specifies it – and mentions the month of April. But according to the data collected, it was the late afternoon of April 11th.
The link
That day, flight WN2786 took off from Honolulu to Lihue airport, in Kauai county, also in Hawaii, at 6.45 pm local time (6.45 am the next day, Italian time). At the destination there is bad weather characterized by thunderstorms and in fact several planes divert elsewhere. «Despite the difficult weather conditions» – we read in the carrier’s memo – the commander «with decades of experience» decides to have the first officer manage the short journey to train him further.
The downhill
At 19.09 and 58 seconds the Boeing turns left to complete the descent phase towards Lihue: it is at 869 meters above sea level and traveling at 455 kilometers per hour, according to the data provided by the specialized platforms. However, the crew repeats the “go-around” procedure since the bad weather persists. At 7.12pm and 21 seconds, not having sufficient visibility on the assigned runway – 17 – the first officer decided to cancel the procedure.
The wrong maneuver
But in doing so the young pilot “inadvertently” pushes the control stick forward, simultaneously reducing speed: with these commands the plane begins to rapidly lose altitude. The nose points towards the sea, the rate of descent is 22.4 meters per second – according to the values provided by the internal note -, more than double the expected maximum. The “Ground proximity warning system” – on-board instrumentation to prevent collisions with the ground – launches two emergency warnings: “Don’t sink”, and “pull up”.
The ascent
It’s a matter of a few seconds. And while the alarms sound the first officer – underlines the internal memo – “he says he didn’t hear them due to too many things to do”. At that point the commander intervenes by ordering “climb” and “turn left”, he veers to the left. The first officer to restore power to the engines and regain altitude. But – here’s the other mistake – without noticing that the flaps on the wings are in an inappropriate position and this leads the aircraft to excessive speed, climbing at a rate of 43 meters per second.
The second attempt
After flying off the island the pilots decide to land in Honolulu, where they had taken off, at 8.08pm. The commander decides to try again to reach the intended destination – “without consulting the first officer” – but after the second take-off, at 9.35pm, the weather worsened in Lihue and the Boeing returned to the departure airport an hour later. In the following days the pilots report the event through the «Aviation safety action program» system.
The reactions
“For Southwest there is nothing more important than safety,” explains the carrier in a note sent to the press, without wanting to provide details on the flight, not even the date. «Thanks to our proven safety management system, the event was handled appropriately so as to constantly improve». Once the news circulated, the Federal Aviation Administration decided to open an investigation.
