Incidents and Accidents
Southwest Airlines has not been responsible for any passenger deaths on any of its planes in its history, but has had eight incidents/accidents with one hull-loss and one death on the ground. The airline is also one of the safest in the world.
| Flight | Date | Aircraft | Location | Description | Injuries |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Southwest Airlines Flight 1455 | March 5, 2000 | Boeing 737–300 | Burbank, CA | Overran the runway upon landing at Burbank-Glendale-Pasadena Airport, now called Bob Hope Airport, Burbank, California, injuring 43. The incident resulted in the dismissal of the pilots. The aircraft was damaged beyond repair. This incident is the only hull-loss accident in the 40+ year history of the airline. | 43 injuries |
| Southwest Airlines Flight 1763 | August 11, 2000 | Boeing 737 | In flight | A passenger Jonathan Burton broke through the cockpit door aboard Southwest Airlines Flight 1763 while en route from Las Vegas to Salt Lake City. In their own defense, the other passengers restrained Burton, who later died of the resulting injuries. | 1 death |
| Southwest Airlines Flight 440 | August 19, 2004 | N/A | Los Angeles, CA | The flight taking off from Los Angeles International Airport bound for Albuquerque, New Mexico, was on the same runway that Asiana Airlines Flight 204, a Boeing 747, was using for landing due to an air traffic control error. The Asiana pilot aborted the landing, saving both planes. | None |
| Southwest Airlines Flight 1248 | December 8, 2005 | Boeing 737–700 | Chicago, IL | The flight skidded off a runway upon landing at Chicago Midway International Airport in heavy snow conditions. A six-year-old boy died in a car struck by the plane after it skidded into a street. Passengers on board the aircraft and on the ground reported several minor injuries. The aircraft involved, N471WN, became N286WN after repairs. | 1 death (on ground); Several injuries |
| Southwest Airlines Flight 2294 | July 13, 2009 | Boeing 737–300 | Charleston, WV | The flight from Nashville International Airport to Baltimore-Washington International Airport was forced to divert to Yeager Airport in Charleston, West Virginia, after a hole formed on the top of the plane's fuselage near the tail, resulting in depressurization of the cabin and deployment of the oxygen masks. The aircraft landed safely. | None |
| Southwest Airlines Flight 812 | April 1, 2011 | Boeing 737–300 | Yuma, AZ | The flight from Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport to Sacramento International Airport operated with a Boeing 737–300 aircraft registered N632SW, was forced to declare an emergency and divert to Yuma International Airport after a hole appeared in the top of the aircraft fuselage. The aircraft landed approximately 40 minutes after takeoff from Phoenix. | None |
| Southwest Airlines Flight 1905 | November 10, 2012 | Boeing 737 | Denver, Colorado | The flight from Oakland International Airport to Denver International Airport had landed safely in Denver when it slid off the runway. There were 125 passengers on board and they all made it out without injuries. | None |
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Famous quotes containing the words incidents and/or accidents:
“An element of exaggeration clings to the popular judgment: great vices are made greater, great virtues greater also; interesting incidents are made more interesting, softer legends more soft.”
—Walter Bagehot (1826–1877)
“I can forgive even that wrong of wrongs,
Those undreamt accidents that have made me
Seeing that Fame has perished this long while,
Being but a part of ancient ceremony
Notorious, till all my priceless things
Are but a post the passing dogs defile.”
—William Butler Yeats (1865–1939)