FAA investigating possible close call between Southwest Airlines jet, air traffic control tower

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is investigating whether a Southwest Airlines plane came close to an air traffic control tower after it veered off course during an attempted landing at LaGuardia Airport in New York City.

On March 23, around 1 p.m., an air traffic controller instructed the crew of Flight 147 to perform a go-around at LaGuardia Airport. The plane had veered off course due to inclement weather, according to the FAA.

Southwest told FOX Business that the flight had encountered “turbulence and low visibility” at the airport. 

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The flight diverted and landed in Baltimore. 

A Southwest commercial airliner takes off from Las Vegas International Airport in Las Vegas, Nevada, on Feb. 8, 2024. (REUTERS/Mike Blake/File Photo / Reuters Photos)

The FAA told FOX Business in a statement that it “is investigating and will determine if the aircraft flew over the tower at LaGuardia.”

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Separately, the airline said it is “reviewing the event as part of our safety systems.”

A go‐around occurs when an arriving aircraft aborts its landing procedure and returns to the landing queue, according to the San Francisco International Airport. 

According to the FAA airplane flying handbook, “if there is a doubt over the landing surface, the pilot should go around and consider the situation further.”  

Southwest wasn’t the only carrier forced to implement the procedure that afternoon in March. 

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JetBlue Flight 698, which was also trying to land at LaGuardia, encountered wind shear, which forced the plane to abort its landing. 

Wind shear occurs when there is a change in wind speed or direction over a short distance, according to the FAA.