<p>A Southwest Airlines passenger's story has sent chills down people's spine. The passenger from the United States posted a video from a flight that descended alarmingly close to the ocean before it was about to land.</p>

<p>Nancy Allen was on&nbsp;a Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft operated by&nbsp;Southwest,&nbsp;flying from Columbus, Ohio, to Tampa, Florida, earlier this month. While the plane was&nbsp;four miles from the runway in Tampa, Flight 425 dropped to 175 feet above the ocean.</p>

<p>An air traffic controller had to notify the crew about their extremely low altitude, leading to the plane being diverted to Fort Lauderdale, about 200 miles away.</p>

<p>As the passengers started to panic, Allen sent her husband text messages. "I was concerned we were flying in a Tampa storm, so I opened my window," she told WFLA.</p>

<p><strong>Watch |&nbsp;US: Donald Trump faces tough nominee Kamala Harris</strong></p>

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<p>"I was watching how we were approaching, we were coming around MacDill Air Force Base and I know you can’t fly over MacDill Force Base, it was just a unique approach," she added.</p>

<p>The video shot on her phone shows the Boeing plane rising back up after attempting to land in Tampa, then being redirected to Fort Lauderdale.</p>

<p>Allen explained that she realised something was wrong at that moment, saying, "I was feeling a little panic. At that moment I panicked, and I started texting my husband this is sketchy and I was texting him, abort, abort."</p>

<p>Even though the flight landed safely and no one was unharmed, Allen said that the reason behind the disturbance is still unknown.</p>

<p><strong>Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/netflix-co-founder-reed-hastings-7mn-donation-to-kamala-harris-triggers-boycott-calls-744525">Netflix co-founder Reed Hastings' $7mn donation to Kamala Harris triggers boycott calls</a></strong></p>

<p>"That was the worst flight I have been on in a really long time," she said.</p>

<h2><strong>FAA opens investigation into the&nbsp;incident</strong></h2>

<p>The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is investigating the cause behind the incident.</p>

<p>"Southwest Flight 425 safely diverted to Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport on July 14 after the Crew discontinued their planned approach into Tampa International Airport. The aircraft returned to Tampa after a short time on the ground in Fort Lauderdale. 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 final approach," a statement from Southwest Airlines said.</p>

<p>"Nothing is more important to Southwest than the Safety of our Customers and Employees," it added.</p>

<p>This comes after a similar incident that happened last month when a Boeing 737 also operated by&nbsp;Southwest Airlines descended to less than 500 feet over a town in Oklahoma.</p>

<p><em>(With inputs from agencies)</em></p>


A Southwest Airlines passenger's story has sent chills down people's spine. The passenger from the United States posted a video from a flight that descended alarmingly close to the ocean before it was about to land.

A Southwest Airlines passenger's story has sent chills down people's spine. The passenger from the United States posted a video from a flight that descended alarmingly close to the ocean before it was about to land. Nancy Allen was on a Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft operated by Southwest, flying from Columbus, Ohio, to Tampa, Florida, earlier this month. While the plane was four miles from the runway in Tampa, Flight 425 dropped to 175 feet above the ocean. An air traffic controller had to notify the crew about their extremely low altitude, leading to the plane being diverted to Fort Lauderdale, about 200 miles away. As the passengers started to panic, Allen sent her husband text messages. "I was concerned we were flying in a Tampa storm, so I opened my window," she told WFLA. Watch | US: Donald Trump faces tough nominee Kamala Harris × "I was watching how we were approaching, we were coming around MacDill Air Force Base and I know you can’t fly over MacDill Force Base, it was just a unique approach," she added. The video shot on her phone shows the Boeing plane rising back up after attempting to land in Tampa, then being redirected to Fort Lauderdale. Allen explained that she realised something was wrong at that moment, saying, "I was feeling a little panic. At that moment I panicked, and I started texting my husband this is sketchy and I was texting him, abort, abort." Even though the flight landed safely and no one was unharmed, Allen said that the reason behind the disturbance is still unknown. Also read: Netflix co-founder Reed Hastings' $7mn donation to Kamala Harris triggers boycott calls "That was the worst flight I have been on in a really long time," she said. FAA opens investigation into the incident The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is investigating the cause behind the incident. "Southwest Flight 425 safely diverted to Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport on July 14 after the Crew discontinued their planned approach into Tampa International Airport. The aircraft returned to Tampa after a short time on the ground in Fort Lauderdale. 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 final approach," a statement from Southwest Airlines said. "Nothing is more important to Southwest than the Safety of our Customers and Employees," it added. This comes after a similar incident that happened last month when a Boeing 737 also operated by Southwest Airlines descended to less than 500 feet over a town in Oklahoma. (With inputs from agencies)

Southwest Airlines passenger shares chilling experience after Boeing plane dropped to 175 feet above the ocean

<p>Boeing has agreed to plead guilty to a criminal fraud conspiracy charge to resolve a US Justice Department investigation linked to two 737 MAX fatal crashes, a government official said on Sunday (Jul 7).&nbsp;</p>

<p>The plea, which requires a federal judge's approval, would brand the planemaker a convicted felon. Boeing will also pay a criminal fine of $243.6 million, a Justice Department official said.</p>

<p>The charge relates to two 737 MAX crashes in Indonesia and Ethiopia over a five-month period in 2018 and 2019 that killed 346 people and prompted the families of the victims to demand that Boeing face prosecution.</p>

<p>A guilty plea potentially threatens the company's ability to secure lucrative government contracts with the likes of the US&nbsp;Defense Department and NASA, although it could seek waivers. Boeing became exposed to criminal prosecution after the Justice Department in May found the company violated a 2021 settlement involving the fatal crashes.</p>

<p>Still, the plea spares Boeing a contentious trial that could have exposed many of the company’s decisions leading up to the fatal MAX plane crashes to even greater public scrutiny. It would also make it easier for the company, which will have a new CEO later this year, to try to move forward as it seeks approval for its planned acquisition of Spirit AeroSystems.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Boeing declined to comment.</p>

<p>Boeing has also agreed to invest at least $455 million over the next three years to strengthen its safety and compliance programs, the official said. DOJ will appoint a third-party monitor to oversee the firm's compliance. The monitor will have to publicly file with the court annual reports on the company's progress.</p>

<p>The Justice Department on June 30 offered a plea agreement to Boeing and gave the company until the end of the week to take the deal or face a trial on a charge of conspiring to defraud the Federal Aviation Administration in connection with a key software feature tied to the fatal crashes.</p>

<p>After being briefed last week on the DOJ's offer, a lawyer for some of the families criticized it as a "sweetheart deal". They have vowed to oppose the deal in court.</p>

<p><a href="https://www.wionews.com/videos/gravitas-boeing-737-max-parts-missing-from-indian-plane-678384"><strong>Watch |&nbsp;Gravitas: Boeing 737 Max: Parts missing from Indian plane</strong></a></p>

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<p>The Justice Department's push to charge Boeing has deepened an ongoing crisis engulfing Boeing since a separate January in-flight blowout exposed continuing safety and quality issues at the planemaker.</p>

<p>A panel blew off a new Boeing 737 MAX 9 jet during a Jan. 5 Alaska Airlines flight, just two days before the 2021 deferred prosecution agreement that had shielded the company from prosecution over the previous fatal crashes expired. The agreement only covers Boeing's conduct before the fatal crashes and does not shield the planemaker from any other potential investigations or charges related to the January incident or other conduct.</p>

<p>Boeing is pleading guilty to making knowingly false representations to the Federal Aviation Administration about having expanded a key software feature used on the MAX to operate at low speeds. The new software saved Boeing money by requiring less intensive training for pilots.</p>

<p>The Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System (MCAS) is a software feature designed to automatically push the airplane’s nose down in certain conditions. It was tied to the two crashes that led to the FAA's grounding the plane for 20 months, an action that cost Boeing $20 billion, and the government lifted in November 2020.</p>

<p>As part of the deal, Boeing's board of directors will meet with relatives of those killed in the MAX crashes, the official said.</p>

<p><meta name="uuid" content="uuidmThFUz4mJxlO" /></p>

<p>The agreement does not shield any executives, the DOJ official said, though charges against individuals are seen as unlikely due to the statute of limitations.</p>

<p>The agreed penalty will be Boeing's second fine of $243.6 million related to the fatal crashes — bringing the full fine to the maximum allowed. The company paid the fine previously as part of 2021's $2.5 billion settlement. The $243.6 million fine represented the amount Boeing saved by not implementing full-flight simulator training.</p>

<p>Families of the victims of those crashes slammed the previous agreement and earlier this year pressed the Justice Department to seek as much as $25 billion from Boeing.</p>

<p>This year, the DOJ has held several meetings to hear from the victims' families as they investigated Boeing's breach of the 2021 deal.</p>


Boeing has agreed to plead guilty to a criminal fraud conspiracy charge to resolve a US Justice Department investigation linked to two 737 MAX fatal crashes, a government official said on Sunday (Jul 7).

Boeing has agreed to plead guilty to a criminal fraud conspiracy charge to resolve a US Justice Department investigation linked to two 737 MAX fatal crashes, a government official said on Sunday (Jul 7). The plea, which requires a federal judge's approval, would brand the planemaker a convicted felon. Boeing will also pay a criminal fine of $243.6 million, a Justice Department official said. The charge relates to two 737 MAX crashes in Indonesia and Ethiopia over a five-month period in 2018 and 2019 that killed 346 people and prompted the families of the victims to demand that Boeing face prosecution. A guilty plea potentially threatens the company's ability to secure lucrative government contracts with the likes of the US Defense Department and NASA, although it could seek waivers. Boeing became exposed to criminal prosecution after the Justice Department in May found the company violated a 2021 settlement involving the fatal crashes. Still, the plea spares Boeing a contentious trial that could have exposed many of the company’s decisions leading up to the fatal MAX plane crashes to even greater public scrutiny. It would also make it easier for the company, which will have a new CEO later this year, to try to move forward as it seeks approval for its planned acquisition of Spirit AeroSystems. Boeing declined to comment. Boeing has also agreed to invest at least $455 million over the next three years to strengthen its safety and compliance programs, the official said. DOJ will appoint a third-party monitor to oversee the firm's compliance. The monitor will have to publicly file with the court annual reports on the company's progress. The Justice Department on June 30 offered a plea agreement to Boeing and gave the company until the end of the week to take the deal or face a trial on a charge of conspiring to defraud the Federal Aviation Administration in connection with a key software feature tied to the fatal crashes. After being briefed last week on the DOJ's offer, a lawyer for some of the families criticized it as a "sweetheart deal". They have vowed to oppose the deal in court. Watch | Gravitas: Boeing 737 Max: Parts missing from Indian plane × The Justice Department's push to charge Boeing has deepened an ongoing crisis engulfing Boeing since a separate January in-flight blowout exposed continuing safety and quality issues at the planemaker. A panel blew off a new Boeing 737 MAX 9 jet during a Jan. 5 Alaska Airlines flight, just two days before the 2021 deferred prosecution agreement that had shielded the company from prosecution over the previous fatal crashes expired. The agreement only covers Boeing's conduct before the fatal crashes and does not shield the planemaker from any other potential investigations or charges related to the January incident or other conduct. Boeing is pleading guilty to making knowingly false representations to the Federal Aviation Administration about having expanded a key software feature used on the MAX to operate at low speeds. The new software saved Boeing money by requiring less intensive training for pilots. The Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System (MCAS) is a software feature designed to automatically push the airplane’s nose down in certain conditions. It was tied to the two crashes that led to the FAA's grounding the plane for 20 months, an action that cost Boeing $20 billion, and the government lifted in November 2020. As part of the deal, Boeing's board of directors will meet with relatives of those killed in the MAX crashes, the official said. The agreement does not shield any executives, the DOJ official said, though charges against individuals are seen as unlikely due to the statute of limitations. The agreed penalty will be Boeing's second fine of $243.6 million related to the fatal crashes — bringing the full fine to the maximum allowed. The company paid the fine previously as part of 2021's $2.5 billion settlement. The $243.6 million fine represented the amount Boeing saved by not implementing full-flight simulator training. Families of the victims of those crashes slammed the previous agreement and earlier this year pressed the Justice Department to seek as much as $25 billion from Boeing. This year, the DOJ has held several meetings to hear from the victims' families as they investigated Boeing's breach of the 2021 deal.

Boeing avoids criminal trial over 737 Max crashes after accepting plea deal

Boeing 737 MAX makes first public flight nearly 2 years after fatal crashes

<p>The US House of Representatives' transportation and infrastructure committee has released a report on crashes of MAX 737 planes.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Blasting both Boeing and the Federal Aviation Administration the panel said that “the MAX crashes were not the result of a singular failure, technical mistake or mismanaged event,".</p>

<p>Congressional investigators blamed two deadly Boeing 737 MAX crashes on "repeated and serious failures" by the company and air safety officials, according to a report released Wednesday that called for an overhaul of the US aviation regulatory system.</p>

<p><strong>Watch:&nbsp;Boeing halts 737 max production after 20 years</strong></p>

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<p>"They were the horrific culmination of a series of faulty technical assumptions by Boeing's engineers, a lack of transparency on the part of Boeing's management, and grossly insufficient oversight by the FAA."&nbsp;</p>

<p>The 239-page report released by congressional Democrats is the culmination of an 18-month probe by the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee into crashes of Lion Air and Ethiopian Airlines planes that together claimed 346 lives.</p>

<p>In 2019, two deadly plane crashes within five months have rocked Boeing and the aviation industry, forcing the worldwide grounding of the Chicago-based company’s 737 Max airliners.</p>

<p><em>(With inputs from agencies)</em></p>


The US House of Representatives' transportation and infrastructure committee has released a report on crashes of MAX 737 planes. Blasting both Boeing and the Federal Aviation Administration the panel said that “the MAX crashes were not the result of a singular failure, technical mistake or mismanaged event,".

The US House of Representatives' transportation and infrastructure committee has released a report on crashes of MAX 737 planes. Blasting both Boeing and the Federal Aviation Administration the panel said that “the MAX crashes were not the result of a singular failure, technical mistake or mismanaged event,". Congressional investigators blamed two deadly Boeing 737 MAX crashes on "repeated and serious failures" by the company and air safety officials, according to a report released Wednesday that called for an overhaul of the US aviation regulatory system. Watch: Boeing halts 737 max production after 20 years × "They were the horrific culmination of a series of faulty technical assumptions by Boeing's engineers, a lack of transparency on the part of Boeing's management, and grossly insufficient oversight by the FAA." The 239-page report released by congressional Democrats is the culmination of an 18-month probe by the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee into crashes of Lion Air and Ethiopian Airlines planes that together claimed 346 lives. In 2019, two deadly plane crashes within five months have rocked Boeing and the aviation industry, forcing the worldwide grounding of the Chicago-based company’s 737 Max airliners. (With inputs from agencies)