FAA Investigates Southwest Flight's Dangerous Approach and Tower Fly-By at LaGuardia Airport

On March 23, an incident involving Southwest Flight 147 at New York's LaGuardia Airport has caused concern and prompted an investigation by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

During the initial approach to land, the pilots of Southwest Flight 147 had to abort the landing due to adverse weather conditions. As they attempted their second landing, the situation escalated, resulting in a concerning exchange with air traffic control.

Urgent Air Traffic Control Directive

As the Boeing 737 was on its final approach, an air traffic controller urgently instructed the pilots to "go around" and climb to 2,000 feet. The controller repeatedly emphasized the need to climb to 2,000 feet and fly runway heading, indicating a critical situation.

Preliminary flight tracking data revealed that the plane had drifted off course, deviating from the runway's alignment. The altitude of the aircraft during this deviation was measured at 300 feet, prompting the FAA to investigate whether the plane flew over the 233-foot tall air traffic control tower.

Concerning Flight Position

The flight tracker map indicated that the plane traversed over the terminal building, rather than following the intended flight path over the runway. It is believed that the plane flew over the parking garage adjacent to the air traffic control tower.

The air traffic controller informed the pilots that their plane was not properly aligned with the runway and expressed concern that it was east of the final approach path, indicating a potentially hazardous situation.

Southwest Airlines disclosed that there were 147 passengers and six crew members on board during the incident. The airline assured that the event is being thoroughly reviewed as part of their safety procedures.

Weather Conditions and Diversions

The airline attributed the turbulence and low visibility to the inclement weather at LaGuardia Airport. Due to these conditions, Southwest Flight 147 briefly diverted to Baltimore/Washington International Airport before eventually landing safely in New York.

It was reported that the adverse weather conditions at LaGuardia Airport resulted in other go-arounds, including a JetBlue flight that encountered wind shear during its landing attempt around the same time.