Southwest Airlines Flight Executes Sudden Go-Around at Hollywood Burbank Airport
A Boeing 737 operated by Southwest Airlines was forced to abort its landing at Hollywood Burbank Airport on Thursday, an incident that has reignited concerns over safety at an airport previously identified as a high-risk site for mid-air collisions. The aircraft, flight 2353, was scheduled to land at 3:32pm PST after departing from Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas at 2:34pm.
Passenger Accounts and Pilot Explanation
According to passengers who spoke to KABC, the plane briefly touched one wheel on the runway before abruptly pulling up and climbing again. Flight radar data confirmed this sudden altitude increase. One passenger captured a video and shared it with the outlet, recording the pilot's announcement over the intercom.
'Hey folks, just a quick update,' the pilot said. 'The ordered runway wasn't quite clear when we were going to touch down there, so we had to go-around. Now, we will get back in line and another probably five or 10 minutes here, and we'll be landing.'
FAA Response and Routine Nature of Go-Arounds
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) informed the Daily Mail that it would investigate whether the incident was more than a routine go-around. An FAA spokesperson stated, 'A go-around is a safe, routine maneuver performed at the discretion of a pilot or at the request of an air traffic controller. It discontinues the landing approach and returns the aircraft to an altitude and configuration to safely make another approach. The pilot and the air traffic controller are in full command of the situation.'
Background: NTSB Warnings and Safety Concerns
This event follows stark warnings from officials about Hollywood Burbank Airport's safety. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) held a hearing on January 27, approximately a year after a tragic mid-air collision near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, where an American Airlines jet hit a Black Hawk army helicopter over the Potomac River, resulting in 67 fatalities.
At that hearing, the NTSB concluded that Hollywood Burbank has the highest risk of a similar incident. NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy criticized the FAA, saying, 'Burbank is one where commercial airlines have called me to say the next mid-air is going to be at Burbank, and nobody at FAA is paying attention to us. So, whether it is involving helicopters or not, people are raising red flags, and why aren't people listening? The FAA has to ensure safety. That is their job.'
FAA Mitigation Efforts and Airport Statistics
In response to the collision near Reagan airport, the FAA conducted AI tests to identify hotspots with high volumes of mixed helicopter and airplane traffic, focusing on Van Nuys Airport and nearby Hollywood Burbank Airport in the Los Angeles area. The FAA aimed to reduce conflicts by lowering the Van Nuys traffic pattern by 200 feet, which resulted in fewer alerts from the Traffic Collision Avoidance System for flights at Burbank.
Hollywood Burbank Airport serves around 500,000 passengers monthly, according to its website, with nine major airlines offering flights to destinations such as Phoenix, Seattle, Denver, and other parts of California. This incident underscores ongoing debates about aviation safety and regulatory oversight in busy airspaces.
