Southwest Airlines emergency landing occurred Saturday at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) after the plane's flaps malfunctioned, according to multiple reports. The "high speed" Southwest Airlines emergency landing had been inevitable as flaps are part of the flight control system and it affects the aircraft's lift and speed capabilities, reports the Daily Mail.
The Saturday Southwest Airlines flight had 81 passengers and was on its way to California from Sacramento when the incident occurred. According to the Daily Mail, Flight 1704 had only been minutes on air when the jet's pilot radioed for assistance because of "performance issues" with the aircraft.
If the Southwest Airlines emergency landing had not occurred, the Los Angeles Times reports that Flight 1704, which took off from Sacramento, would have originally landed at Bob Hope Airport in Burbank. The LAX diversion was due to the airport's longer runways and a maintenance base where the plane can be serviced, said a spokesperson for Southwest via email.
One passenger aboard the plane described the Southwest Airlines emergency landing as "high speed" and "rough," according to the Times. KNX 1070 reported that as soon as the plane touched down, everyone applauded.
According to passenger Paul Mitchell, the vice president of Political Data Inc. and a self-described frequent flier, before the Southwest Airlines emergency landing, the pilot announced a problem with the plane's flaps and that the plane had already circled around Burbank airport before to LAX's longer international runway to land.
Mitchell said, "We came into LAX so low and so fast it was eerie. We landed ... almost at full speed."
He added, "Everybody applauded once the plane landed. I think it was a great job by the pilot, but it was obviously a little scary as we were getting there, and it was incredibly fast and kind of a real shock the way that we came in on the landing."
Meanwhile, a Southwest spokesman said their system has built-in redundancies for safe operation in situations such as the Southwest Airlines emergency landing due to flap problems.
According to the Times, as soon as the Southwest Airlines emergency landing was over and the plane landed, airline staff told passengers they would be flown back to Burbank. However, most of the passengers got off the plane.
Southwest reportedly worked with 81 customers on the flight to get them onto other flights or ground transportation, said the airline's spokesman.
On Saturday night, the plane was still out of service, but it has already been inspected and will be repaired before being ready for use once again.
Southwest Airlines emergency landing fortunately left no reported injuries, according to CBS Local.
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