Wing Flap Problem Causes Oakland Emergency Southwest Airlines Plane Landing
A Southwest Airlines plane made an emergency landing at the Oakland airport on the morning of Tuesday, April 5, after the pilot discovered an issue with the wing flap. The Oakland Tribune reports that the plane made a safe landing. Officials are referring to the emergency landing as minor and no injuries to crew members, passengers, or those on the ground were reported. The Southwest plane was visible on the runway in Oakland while it was inspected by mechanics.
Wing flap problems can have a negative effect on plane speed as well as takeoff and landing capabilities. It is fortunate that the pilot in the Oakland incident detected the issue before it led to greater problems that could have caused the plane to lose control or crash.
A significant problem with Southwest Airlines recently that has been raising concern regarding the quality of their aircrafts and maintenance relates to "minor subsurface cracking" on the aluminum surfaces of Boeing 737-300s. According to USA Today, two more Southwest jets were grounded on April 5 after cracks were found, raising the total number to five. Cracks were detected in emergency inspections after an explosive decompression on a Southwest plane occurred last Friday, April 1. During this incident, which involved a Southwest plane from Phoenix bound for Sacramento, a 5-foot-long portion of the plane's skin on the fuselage above the wing split open while the plane was at 34,000 feet. As a consequence, one flight attendant was injured, but none of the 118 passengers suffered injury. The plane had to suddenly descend to lower altitudes and oxygen masks deployed in the cabins.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and Boeing launched inspections on a small portion of the 737 fleet manufactured between the 1980s and 1990s. Southwest owns 78 of these planes that are operated in the United States and Alaska Airlines is responsible for the other two.
Airline accidents are often tragic due to the large amount of people affected onboard the plane and on the ground. When passengers enter a plane, they expect that those in charge of ensuring the plane's maintenance, operation, and safety have fulfilled and will continue to fulfill their responsibilities. However, this isn't always the case. Individuals who have sustained injury and family members of those killed in aviation accidents in Oakland have legal rights that Oakland airline accident lawyers can help protect.
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