Low-flying commercial jet skims Oklahoma City suburb, startling residents
A Southwest Airlines passenger jet flew so low over Yukon early Wednesday morning that it triggered an altitude alert at Oklahoma City's Will Rogers World Airport and had locals asking about it on social media.
Just after midnight Wednesday, the flight from Las Vegas had been cleared to land on a visual approach from the northwest. According to publicly available transponder data, the Boeing 737-800 appeared to descend to about 500 feet as it passed over Yukon High School.
"Southwest 4069, low altitude alert. You good out there?" the air traffic controller asked just after midnight Wednesday, according to an audio archive of transmissions provided by LiveATC.net.
Wednesday morning (6/19) just after midnight, Southwest 4069 triggered a low altitude alert at Will Rogers Tower as it approached RW13.
The 737 descended to less than 500 above ground directly over Yukon. pic.twitter.com/5dbyMXQ98F— Dale Denwalt (@denwalt) June 20, 2024
The aircraft quickly regained altitude and circled for a safe landing at another runway. When reached Thursday, ATC personnel at the airport confirmed the alert and missed approach but said there were no issues with the aircraft.
The low approach, along with the late hour, sparked discussion and speculation on the Yukon Happenings Facebook group.
"It woke me up and I thought it was gonna hit my house," one person commented.
On Thursday, Southwest Airlines said it was in contact with the FAA.
"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. Nothing is more important to Southwest than the safety of our customers and employees," a Southwest spokesperson said.
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Low-flying commercial jet skims Oklahoma City suburb Wednesday morning
