Federal authorities are investigating an atypical rolling maneuver that occurred during a Southwest flight on a Boeing 737, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) told the Daily Caller.
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 announced in a preliminary report that the May 25 flight went into a “dutch roll.” This is “an aircraft motion that is identified by a combination of continuous back and forth rolling and yawing motion,” according to Aerospace Notes. The motion is said to mimic a speedskater, a sport in which the Dutch are famously dominant, according to CBS News.
The plane, a Boeing 737 Max 8, was flying from Phoenix to Oakland, the outlet reported.
The incident reportedly occurred at 32,000 feet, but the pilots were able to recover. They landed the plane an hour later without any injuries, according to the outlet. The plane had 175 passengers and 6 crew members aboard, according to the FAA’s report. (RELATED: Horrifying Video Shows Flames Shoot From Boeing Aircraft’s Engine)
The FAA has revealed that an inspection showed damage to a standby PCU, a backup power unit intended for the rudder, according to report. “The FAA is working closely with the NTSB and Boeing to investigate this event. We will take appropriate action based on the findings,” the FAA told the Daily Caller in response to a request for comment, directing the outlet to the NTSB for any additional queries.
“Any uncommanded flight control movement is potentially significant. The fact that this resulted in significant damage makes this sort of a big deal,” CBS News’ Aviation Safety analyst Robert Sumwalt wrote to the outlet’s senior transportation and national correspondent Kris Van Cleave.
The FAA told the Daily Caller that no airlines have reported a similar incident. Southwest said none of its other MAX aircraft have suffered a similar incident, according to CBS News. This comes amidst many other controversies regarding the safety of Boeing aircraft.
The Aviation Herald was the first to report this incident.
