Passengers on a flight that plummeted to less than 500 feet above the ground have shared aerial footage – as many say they were unaware they were flying so low.
Dramatic images shared by a traveler claiming to be aboard the Southwest Airlines flight — which flew over Oklahoma — show a large thunderstorm in the sky on Wednesday.
The flight was nine miles from Will Rogers World Airport in Oklahoma City when it dived into the middle 400 and 500 feet when it passed a school in Yukon.
Amber England claimed she was on board the flight when she saw the storm, before revealing she had no idea about the low altitude until she saw it on the news.
In the same way, Susan Gierhart claimed she was on board and completely unaware of its low altitude until the woman in front of her expressed her concerns.
Dramatic footage apparently shared by someone aboard the Southwest Airlines flight, which passed over Oklahoma, shows a large thunderstorm in the sky on Wednesday
The flight was nine miles from Will Rogers World Airport in Oklahoma City when it dived to an altitude of 400 to 500 feet as it flew over a school in Yukon.
Sharing the footage, Amber said: ‘On mine and Brad’s flight home Wednesday morning we saw a crazy storm.
“If you’ve ever wondered what a storm looks like high in the clouds, check this out: It’s pretty cool.”
“Then I see on news 9 that the flight we were on went 500 feet above the ground over the Yukon and we had no idea. Wild plane ride.”
In a post on social media, Gierhart said: “The lady across from me [realized]. She panicked. I didn’t know at the time that she had a reason for that.’
She added that she “wondered why we kept circling.”
Doorbell camera footage also captured Wednesday showed the Boeing 737 MAX-8 hovering over homes before flying out of view.
The sudden drop prompted air traffic control to call the pilot and check the status of the flight.
“Southwest 4069, low altitude warning,” the air traffic controller was heard saying in a conversation audio archive of the broadcast. “Are you okay there?” he asked.
Susan Gierhart, left, and Amber England, right, both claim they were on board the plane when it dropped in altitude
The sudden drop prompted air traffic control to call the pilot and check the status of the flight
The pilot of the flight from Las Vegas confirmed there was no problem with the plane and turned around again, quickly regaining altitude from about 450 feet to more than 1,000 feet as it passed over Yukon High School.
The plane then landed safely at the airport on a different runway, and air traffic control personnel confirmed there were no problems with the Boeing 737 Max-8, according to The Oklahoman.
But the low approach, along with the late hour, raised concerns among the city’s residents.
“I was kind of halfway through sleep when I woke up, and all I hear is WHOOSH,” Spencer Basoco said KFOR.
“And I thought at first, like a storm was coming… because it just sounded like a wall of wind.
“And I looked out the window where the noise was coming from…if you go a few blocks away there’s the high school. And all I see is a plane. I knew it wasn’t normal.’
Spencer Basco said he thought it was a storm that had blown through the area and described it as a “wall of wind.”
Another resident claimed they were startled awake by the plane’s engine and wondered if the plane was prepared for a collision.
“It woke me up and I thought it was going to hit my house,” the resident wrote on the Yukon Happenings Facebook page: according to The Oklahoman.
The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating the incident and Southwest confirmed they are working with them to address any “irregularities.”
Southwest officials said they are working with the Federal Aviation Administration to determine what caused the sudden drop.
In a statement, they said: “Southwest follows its robust safety management system and is in contact with the Federal Aviation Administration 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.’
Boeing’s 2024 troubles began in January when a door plug blew out of an Alaska Airlines 737 Max shortly after takeoff from Portland, Oregon
The sudden plunge comes as Boeing continues to make headlines for broken landing gears, broken doors in flight and faulty software systems.
Boeing’s problems in 2024 began in January when a door plug blew out of an Alaska Airlines 737 Max shortly after takeoff from Portland, Oregon.
Current and former Boeing employees have accused the company of taking safety shortcuts.
The Arlington, Virginia-based company is under investigation by the FAA, the National Transportation Safety Board and the Department of Justice.
Earlier this month, a Boeing plane also experienced a rare Dutch roll: a combination of a screeching motion as the tail slips and the plane rocks from wingtip to wingtip.
The company’s repeated failure to fix the problems has led to skepticism on Capitol Hill and lawmakers have fired CEO Dave Calhoun for his role in the airline’s demise.