FAA investigating flight that came close to tower at LaGuardia Airport
Federal officials are investigating whether a Southwest Airlines flight veered off course and flew over the air traffic control tower at LaGuardia Airport last month
WASHINGTON — Federal officials are investigating a Southwest Airlines flight that veered off course and flew close to the air traffic control tower at LaGuardia Airport last month.
The Federal Aviation Administration said Thursday that the plane flew off course due to bad weather as it approached for landing at the busy New York City airport.
The plane flew as low as 300 feet before an air traffic controller – speaking in an unusually urgent tone – told the pilots to abandon their landing and climb to 2,000 feet, according to audio captured by LiveATC.net.
The controller said the plane was not lined up with the runway; it appeared to be east of the intended landing route.
“He was not going to land on the runway,” the controller said.
The flight was diverted to Baltimore, where the plane landed safely. After a brief stop, the plane flew back to New York, according to data from Flightradar24.com.
“The FAA is investigating and will determine if the aircraft flew over the tower at LaGuardia,” an agency spokesperson said. The National Transportation Safety Board said it was also investigating but did not plan to issue any immediate reports.
Dallas-based Southwest did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The March 23 incident on the flight from Nashville, Tennessee, was reported earlier by CBS News.
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