Southwest in the safety spotlight
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Southwest Airlines aircraft have been involved in several recent alarming incidents, forcing safety to the forefront, even as a corporate skirmish is primed to escalate.
Why it matters: There's no indication yet that mechanical trouble caused or contributed to any of the incidents, a stark reminder that human factors are key to flight safety — even with so much focus on production and maintenance issues after Boeing's door plug blowout earlier this year.
What they're saying: "Nothing is more important to Southwest than the safety of our customers and employees," a Southwest spokesperson tells Axios.
Driving the news: In the most recent incident, Southwest 4805 — an early June 25 flight out of Portland, Maine — took off from a closed runway, forcing airport workers to scramble out of the way.
- The control tower was not yet open for the day, but workers there unsuccessfully tried to warn the pilots regardless, per recorded air traffic control communications.
- Some towers are part-time, while some airports have no towers. In both cases, pilots are encouraged to use a dedicated radio frequency to coordinate among themselves.
Zoom in: NOTAMs — that's Notice to Air Missions — warned pilots that the runway was closed.
- Pilots have a duty to read and comply with NOTAMs, though they sometimes criticize the NOTAM system for inadequately spotlighting high-priority messages.
- The flight continued on safely to Baltimore with no other issues.
On June 19, Southwest 4069 got unusually and dangerously low during a late evening approach while still about 9 miles away from its destination, Oklahoma City's Will Rogers World Airport.
- The aircraft descended to nearly 500 feet above the ground before an automated alert prompted a controller to check in with the pilots, the Associated Press reports.
- The crew regained altitude, and the plane was sent back around for a safe landing.
And on April 11, Southwest 2786 briefly descended at an unusually high rate of over 4,000 feet per minute and came within 400 feet of the ocean during what appears to have been a missed approach in poor weather at Hawai'i's Lihue Airport.
- The incident came to light only recently, after Bloomberg reported on an internal company memo about the event.
How it works: Pilots flying in low visibility must rely on their instruments for pitch, roll, altitude and other vital information.
- Spatial disorientation and loss of situational awareness are major risks addressed in training.
The Southwest spokesperson noted: "Our Safety Team uses an FAA-approved Safety Management System to continuously evaluate our operations for opportunities to improve safety. This includes engaging with the FAA and NTSB in the ongoing investigations."
Between the lines: Southwest is now embroiled in an increasingly fierce battle with activist investor group Elliott Management.
- Elliott wants a board shake-up, a new CEO and big operational changes, and has criticized Southwest's software and operational processes — though not its safety practices.
The intrigue: The airline recently adopted a "poison pill" plan — a commonly used corporate defense mechanism to fend off activists' attempts — in a sign that it's prepping for battle, Axios' Michael Flaherty reports.
The other side: "Our board and management team remain focused on restoring our industry-leading financial performance and building a sustainable and profitable future for the airline and its shareholders," Gary Kelly, executive chairman of Southwest's board, said in a July 3 statement.
- "We are confident that we have the right strategy, the right plan and the right team in place to succeed."
The bottom line: Safety incidents happen at every airline. But this recent string of events must be top of mind for Southwest's leaders, even amid an emerging boardroom battle.
