A Southwest Airlines Boeing 737 Max experienced a “Dutch roll” during a flight from Phoenix to Oakland, California, on May 25, causing damage to the plane’s structure, according to the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). The incident occurred while the aircraft was cruising at an altitude of 34,000 feet but the Airlines did not report the roll or the damage to the NTSB until June 7.
“Following the event, SWA performed maintenance on the airplane and discovered damage to structural components,” the safety board said.
The extent and severity of the damage are not yet clear but Southwest spokesperson confirmed the airline’s participation in the investigation.
What is a dutch roll?
A Dutch roll is an aerodynamic phenomenon characterized by a combination of yaw and rolling motions, causing the plane to sway rhythmically.
Pilots are trained to recover from Dutch rolls, and modern aircraft are equipped with yaw dampers to correct the condition by adjusting the rudder.
What structural damage did it cause to the plane?
According to a preliminary report by the Federal Aviation Administration, damage was found in a unit that controls backup power to the rudder after the Southwest plane landed. The damage was described as “substantial.”
The NTSB has downloaded data from the Boeing 737 Max 8 to help determine the duration and severity of the incident. However, the cockpit voice recorder was overwritten after two hours, limiting the available information about the pilots’ conversations. The pilots successfully regained control and landed the plane in Oakland without any reported injuries among the 175 passengers and six crew members.
The NTSB will release a preliminary report on the incident within approximately 30 days.
(With agency inputs)
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