Southwest Jet Takes Off on Closed Runway, Nearly Hits Ground Vehicle

Southwest Airlines Boeing 737-8H4 prepares for takeoff at San Francisco International Airport on March 16, 2024 in San Francisco, California. Boeing aircrafts have recorded more safety incidents after months of woes.

A Southwest Airlines Boeing 737 narrowly avoided a serious accident this week at Portland International Airport (PDX) when it took off from a closed runway, flying over an airport ground vehicle still on the runway.

The incident occurred early on Tuesday morning, when a full Southwest Flight 4805 to Baltimore departed from runway 29 at 5:43 am, two minutes before it was scheduled to open. At the time, the runway was being inspected for safety.

Following the near-miss, the ground vehicle's driver contacted the control tower, questioning why the plane had taken off on a runway that hadn't yet opened. The air traffic controller responded that the tower had never communicated with the pilots.

In audio recordings of air traffic control obtained by local media, controllers can be heard repeatedly warning Flight 4805, "just so you know, there is a vehicle on the runway, and it is closed." Moments later, a controller is heard saying, "I tried warning him."

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) confirmed that they are investigating the incident.

In a statement to Newsweek, a Southwest Airlines spokesperson said:

"Southwest Airlines is engaged with the NTSB and FAA to understand the circumstances of the early morning departure of Flight 4805 from Portland International Jetport on Tuesday, June 25. After departure, the aircraft continued safely to its destination."

This incident is part of a series of recent safety concerns involving Southwest Airlines. On June 20, Southwest Flight 4069 from Las Vegas descended to a dangerously low altitude during its approach to Oklahoma City Airport just after midnight. The plane descended as low as 525 feet while still nine miles from its destination, prompting a low altitude alert from air traffic control.

Before that, at the end of May, a Southwest Airlines Boeing 737 Max experienced a "Dutch Roll" during a flight from Phoenix to Oakland, causing enough damage to keep the aircraft grounded in Oakland for several days before it was flown to Boeing's facility in Everett, Wash. for further repairs.

A Dutch roll is a combination of yaw, or the tail sliding side to side, and the plane rocking in a way that causes the wings to roll up and down. The name comes from the rhythmic, swaying movement resembling a form of ice skating popular in the Netherlands.

A preliminary report by the FAA found that after the Southwest plane landed, damage was discovered to a unit that controls backup power to the rudder. The damage was described as "substantial."

The FAA and NTSB are conducting thorough investigations into these incidents to determine the causes and implement safety measures to prevent future occurrences.

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