April 1st Was A Tough Day For Southwest Airlines
It was an eventful day for an airline promoted by many as one of
the best-run and most customer-oriented in the business. While the
day's news was soon spiraling all about an emergency landing
executed by a stricken B737-300 that blew out a section of the
fuselage and decompressed in very short order, necessitating an
unplanned landing in Yuma, AZ, another Boeing 737 undertook an
emergency landing with little fanfare or notice... and we're having
a tough time getting answers about what happened.
According to a source on board the aircraft, SWA 1147 departed
Orlando, FL, heading west to Houston, where it ran into serious
trouble while over the Gulf of Mexico. Scheduled to depart at 1035
EDT, the flight actually got off the deck at 1053 and is documented
as having filed for 38000 feet enroute on what appeared to be a
fairly direct routing for KHOU.
At 1145, the bird stepped down to 36000 feet and maintained that
altitude until 1223. According to a passenger on the flight,
shortly before this time a odor of smoke became evident to persons
throughout the cabin and was noted by those in the cockpit. It was
an acrid, electrical odor and the flight crew did not ignore the
need for urgency. With the assistance of Houston Center, SWA1147
started a swift descent, recording an initial descent of 7260 FPM
and keeping up as much as 4560-4800 FPM until reaching an altitude
of 12000 feet. The flight track shows the aircraft executing a hard
right turn to head for KMSY (New Orleans) with a landing that
followed at 1128 CDT (1228 EDT). The ride inside was described as
"extreme" in terms of the change in altitude and flight path and it
was obvious that the flight crew was responding aggressively and
swiftly to the potential fire that the smoke may have
indicated.
The approach was treated seriously. Passengers were prepared for
a 'full-on' emergency landing... include evac instructions,
ditching procedures and the works -- this crew was taking no
chances in being left unprepared for what was to come. Our source
on board reported that the cabin crew kept up the chant of "Heads
Down!, Stay Down!" all the way down til the flight until stopped
safely on the ground. It was a dramatic arrival in New
Orleans...
SWA personnel reportedly took reasonable care of the passengers
once they were safe on the ground while the flight crew was lauded
for their swift action... Still, the urgency obviously produced
some anxiety and apprehension during the maneuvering required to
get the aircraft on the ground as quickly and safely as possible.
But once disembarked, few clues were given as to what actually took
place. Questions were asked and few answers were forthcoming...
especially from those of us following up in the media... where SWA
promised additional follow-up and info for four days now... to no
avail. While it may certainly be possible that they have enough on
their plate, ignoring such a scenario -- one virtually repeated by
another airplane hours later into the same airport, just makes
little sense in a world where the lack of such info remains
conspicuous and questionable.
The only details that have been dispatched were contained in an
email sent to passengers offering a brief explanation and a voucher
for a future flight... should anyone care to fly the airline again.
The email message, sent by Adrienne Yurdyga, Assistant Manager,
SWA's Proactive Customer Service Communications, simply notes that,
"On behalf of Southwest Airlines, I wholeheartedly apologize for
the disruption of your April 1 flight, and regret any unsettling
feelings you may have about this overall situation. Along with my
apologies, I'd like to share with you some follow-up information
about what happened.
While en route to Houston Hobby, an odor was detected in the
cabin; and in response, the Captain diverted to New Orleans (the
nearest city) to have the problem checked out. We appreciate your
patience and cooperation while alternate arrangements were made to
continue your trip. After speaking with our Maintenance Department,
I learned that the gasper fan (which provides air flow into the
cabin from the air circulation system) had stopped working which
caused the smell.
We regret any subsequent inconvenience(s) as a result of
yesterday's interruption, and we hope to have another opportunity
to provide you with a better travel experience. In this spirit, I'm
sending a LUV Voucher (separately, but to the same e-mail address)
that we invite you to apply toward the purchase of a future
Southwest reservation. You can be sure that we are looking forward
to seeing you again real soon."
Calls to SWA have been made and no concrete details have been
furnished, despite the promise of callbacks. And while the matter
seems to have turned out well, the silence is conspicuous. We're
quite curious as to what really happened on SWA 1147, what was the
origin of the burning electrical smell (in detail... a fan stoppage
is unlikely to create the reported odor... but what stopped the fan
might have -- we inquiring aviators are quite curious), and most
important of all... are incidents like this one, as well as the far
more publicized issues this week, endemic of an airline that may be
getting out of step with its maintenance practices, needs, and
procedures? We await further info from SWA... but for the moment,
we're not holding our breath.