FAA Investigates Southwest Airlines Flight Over Tampa Bay

The FAA is investigating a Southwest Airlines flight that flew at an alarmingly low altitude over Tampa Bay, Florida. The Boeing 737 MAX flight, en route from Columbus, Ohio, dropped to about 175 feet near Tampa airport. This incident follows other recent safety concerns with Southwest flights.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced on Saturday it is probing a Southwest Airlines flight that had to be diverted after flying at a dangerously low altitude over Tampa Bay, Florida.

According to Flightradar24 data, the July 14 flight, a Southwest Boeing 737 MAX departing from Columbus, Ohio, dropped to an altitude of around 175 feet (53 meters) when it was approximately 3 miles (5 km) from the Tampa airport.

This incident adds to a string of recent safety concerns for Southwest Airlines, including an April flight that came within 400 feet (122 meters) of the ocean off Hawaii, and a June 25 flight that took off from a closed runway in Portland, Maine.

(With inputs from agencies.)