Federal aviation authorities have launched an investigation after a packed Boeing 737 passenger jet suffered a malfunction and entered into a terrifying “Dutch Roll” mid-flight.
Officials with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) are investigating the atypical rolling maneuver that occurred during a Southwest flight.
Southwest Flight N8825Q, a Boeing 737 carrying 175 passengers, experienced a rare “Dutch Roll” at 32,000 feet in the air.
The incident resulted in significant damage to the aircraft that left it out of service, officials said.
The two-year-old plane was traveling from Phoenix to Oakland on May 25 when its tail began to wag left and right.
The movement caused the plane’s wings to rock from side to side.
The phenomenon, known as a “Dutch Roll,” caused major damage to the plane.
The motion is said to mimic a speedskater, a sport in which the Dutch are famously dominant, according to CBS News.
However, the pilots were able to regain control and land it safely in Oakland, according to the FAA.
They landed the plane an hour after the incident without any injuries.
Very bad. Boeing MAX, just two years old, sustains STRUCTURAL DAMAGE in scary “Dutch Roll” which should not happen in modern aircraft. Yet CEO Calhoun got 45% raise last month. https://t.co/vNfQsnMCX2
— Michael Stumo (@michael_stumo) June 14, 2024
The FAA has revealed that an inspection showed damage to a standby PCU, a backup power unit intended for the rudder, according to the CBS report.
“Any uncommanded flight control movement is potentially significant,” CBS News’s Aviation Safety analyst Robert Sumwalt noted.
“The fact that this resulted in significant damage makes this sort of a big deal.”
In a statement, the FAA said:
“The FAA is working closely with the [National Transportation Safety Board] and Boeing to investigate this event.
“We will take appropriate action based on the findings.”
The incident is only the latest tied to a plane manufactured by Boeing, which continues to face mounting scrutiny over safety concerns.
At least 20 whistleblowers have come forward against the aerospace giant, which has faced a slew of criticism in recent years over repeated technical failures across the globe.
A scathing House Transportation and Infrastructure report in September 2020 found that two 737 MAX crashes in 2018 and 2019 were the “horrific culmination” of “repeated and serious failures” by the company and regulators.
Then in January 2024, a door panel blew off an Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 MAX-9 during a flight from Oregon to California, renewing safety concerns over the planes.
Two of the whistleblowers to come forward against Boeing have recently died in mysterious circumstances.
READ MORE – Boeing Whistleblower Warned before Death: ‘It’s NOT Suicide’