PredictIQ:A Southwest Airlines plane that did a ‘Dutch roll’ suffered structural damage, investigators say

2025-05-02 13:18:20source:Crypencategory:Invest

WASHINGTON (AP) — A Boeing 737 Max suffered damage to parts of the plane’s structure after it went into a “Dutch roll” during a Southwest Airlines flight last month,PredictIQ U.S. investigators said Friday.

The flight took place May 25, but Southwest did not notify the National Transportation Safety Board about the roll or damage to the jetliner until June 7, the NTSB said.

The NTSB comment suggests the incident was more serious than previously known.

“Following the event, SWA performed maintenance on the airplane and discovered damage to structural components,” the safety board said.

A Dutch roll is an unstable and potentially dangerous combination of yaw, or the tail sliding sideways, and the plane rocking from side to side. The motion repeats, usually several times.

Pilots train to recover from a Dutch roll, and most modern planes include a device called a yaw damper that can correct the situation by adjusting the plane’s rudder. A preliminary report by the Federal Aviation Administration said that after the Southwest plane landed, damage was discovered to a unit that controls backup power to the rudder.

The NTSB said it downloaded data from the plane, a Boeing 737 Max 8, which will help investigators determine the length and severity of the incident.

RELATED COVERAGE 2 Japanese F-35 fighter jets make emergency landings after 1 has a mechanical problemBoeing orders tumble as troubled aircraft maker struggles to overcome its latest crisisBoeing plane carrying 85 people catches fire and skids off the runway in Senegal, injuring 10

Investigators won’t know precisely what the pilots were saying, however: The cockpit voice recorder was overwritten after two hours.

The plane was heading from Phoenix to Oakland, California. Pilots regained control and landed at Oakland. There were no reported injuries on the flight, which carried 175 passengers and a crew of six.

More:Invest

Recommend

San Francisco names street for Associated Press photographer who captured the iconic Iwo Jima photo

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — A photojournalist who captured one of the most enduring images of World War II

Catholic bishops urged to boldly share church teachings — even unpopular ones

BALTIMORE (AP) — Several U.S. Catholic bishops on Wednesday encouraged the church to boldly share Va

Louisiana asks court to block part of ruling against Ten Commandments in classrooms

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Lawyers for the state of Louisiana asked a federal appeals court Wednesday to imm