Southwest Airlines Plane Dives Dangerously Low Over Oklahoma City Neighborhood

A Southwest plane got a little too close for comfort for some in Oklahoma on Wednesday.

A Southwest Airlines flight inexplicably dipped to a dangerously low altitude while landing in Oklahoma City, flying less than 500 feet above a residential area, alarming both air traffic controllers and local residents.

The dramatic descent of Southwest Airlines flight 4069 from Las Vegas was recorded by transponders and quickly noticed by air traffic controllers. Shortly after midnight, the Boeing 737-800 was cleared to land at Will Rogers World Airport but flew alarmingly close to Yukon High School and surrounding homes.

“Southwest 4069, low altitude alert. You good out there?” an air traffic controller urgently radioed to the pilots. The plane, which had missed its initial approach, regained altitude and circled the airport before landing safely.

The incident left residents in the area shaken. “Thought I was having cool dreams about airplanes the other night but actually had a 737 buzz my house,” one person wrote on Facebook. Another local resident said, “It woke me up and I thought it was gonna hit my house.”

The plane flew just 500 feet above Yukon High School.

Southwest Airlines is investigating the incident in collaboration with federal officials. “Southwest is following 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,” a spokesperson said. “Nothing is more important to Southwest than the Safety of our Customers and Employees.”

This incident follows another troubling episode involving Southwest Airlines. The Federal Aviation Administration is currently investigating a separate incident where a Southwest plane descended to just 400 feet above the Pacific Ocean en route to Hawaii in April. According to a memo obtained by Bloomberg, that plane plunged at an "abnormally high rate of more than 4,000 feet per minute" before the pilots regained control.

Both incidents highlight ongoing concerns about flight safety and the need for thorough investigations to prevent future occurrences.