According to Newsweek, the incident unfolded in the early hours of Tuesday when Southwest Flight 4805, bound for Baltimore, took off from runway 29 at 5:43 am, a full two minutes before the runway was officially scheduled to open. At that moment, the runway was undergoing a safety inspection.
The driver of the ground vehicle, taken aback by the near-miss, reached out to the control tower to inquire why the aircraft had been allowed to take off from a runway that was not yet open for use. The air traffic controller responded, stating that there had been no communication with the pilots.
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Local media obtained audio recordings of the air traffic control, in which controllers can be heard repeatedly cautioning Flight 4805, "just so you know, there is a vehicle on the runway, and it is closed." Shortly thereafter, a controller is heard lamenting, "I tried warning him."
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The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) have confirmed that they are investigating the incident.
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In a statement, a Southwest Airlines spokesperson said, "Southwest Airlines is engaged with the NTSB and FAA to understand the circumstances of the early morning departure of Flight 4805 from Portland International Jetport on Tuesday, June 25. After departure, the aircraft continued safely to its destination."
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This incident is not an isolated one, but rather part of a string of recent safety concerns involving Southwest Airlines. On June 20, Southwest Flight 4069 from Las Vegas descended to a dangerously low altitude during its approach to Oklahoma City Airport just after midnight. The plane descended as low as 525 feet while still nine miles from its destination, triggering a low altitude alert from air traffic control.
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In another incident at the end of May, a Southwest Airlines Boeing 737 Max experienced a "Dutch Roll" during a flight from Phoenix to Oakland, causing sufficient damage to keep the aircraft grounded in Oakland for several days before it was flown to Boeing's facility in Everett, Wash. for further repairs.
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A Dutch roll is a combination of yaw, or the tail sliding side to side, and the plane rocking in a way that causes the wings to roll up and down. The name comes from the rhythmic, swaying movement resembling a form of ice skating popular in the Netherlands.
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The FAA's preliminary report found that after the Southwest plane landed, damage was discovered to a unit that controls backup power to the rudder. The damage was described as "substantial."
The FAA and NTSB are conducting comprehensive investigations into these incidents to determine the causes and implement safety measures to prevent future occurrences. These incidents underscore the importance of stringent safety measures and the need for constant vigilance in the aviation industry. The conservative perspective would emphasize the need for individual responsibility and accountability in such situations, as well as the importance of free-market competition in driving safety improvements.
