Southwest Airlines Boeing flight experienced ‘Dutch roll’ midair

US News

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By Ronny Reyes

 A Southwest Airlines Boeing plane experienced a rare Dutch roll at 32,000 feet in the air that resulted in significant damage to the aircraft that left it out of service, officials said.

Southwest flight N8825Q, a Boeing 737 carrying 175 passengers, was traveling from Phoenix to Oakland on May 25 when its tail began to wag left and right, causing the plane’s wings to rock from side to side.

The phenomenon, known as a Dutch roll, caused major damage to the plane, but the pilots were able to regain control and land it safely in Oakland, according to the Federal Aviation Administration

No injuries were reported over the Dutch roll incident, which pilots are trained to counter and modern planes are built to combat with a yaw damper.  

“The FAA is working closely with the NTSB ( National Transportation Safety Board) and Boeing to investigate this event,” the agency said in a statement. 

“We will take appropriate action based on the findings.”

A preliminary report from the FAA found that a power-control unit on the plane had been damaged, which provides backup power to the rudder.

Boeing and Southwest declined to comment on the incident, with the airline adding that it was cooperating with FAA investigators. 

The incident is only the latest tied to a Boeing plane, which continues to face mounting scrutiny over safety concerns. 

At least 20 whistleblowers have come out against the aerospace giant, which has faced a slew of criticism in recent years over repeated technical failures across the globe. 

A scathing House Transportation and Infrastructure report in September 2020 found that two 737 MAX crashes in 2018 and 2019 were the “horrific culmination” of “repeated and serious failures” by the company and regulators.     

Then in January 2024, a door panel blew off an Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 MAX-9 during a flight from Oregon to California, renewing safety concerns over the planes.