FAA investigating a Southwest airlines Columbus to Tampa flight that dropped to 150 feet

The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating a Southwest flight from Columbus to Tampa that dropped to a dangerously low altitude earlier this month, according to a FAA statement from Tuesday.

Southwest Flight 425 from John Glenn Columbus International Airport plummeted to around 150 feet above Tampa Bay as it approached Tampa International Airport at around 7:05 p.m. on July 14, according to public flight data.

The lowest a flight in that area is cleared to fly is 1,200 feet, according to FAA flight charts.

The flight began climbing again after a Tampa air traffic controller alerted the pilots to their low altitude, according to air traffic recordings uploaded to Youtube . It was rerouted to Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport on the other side of the state after the crew abandoned its landing in Tampa, according to a statement from Southwest Airlines.

Related Southwest article: New nonstop flights added to Rickenbacker, John Glenn Columbus airports. Where can you go?

"Southwest is following its robust safety management system and is in contact with the Federal Aviation Administration to understand and address any irregularities. Nothing is more important to Southwest than the Safety of our customers and employees," the airline said in a statement.

Light rain, clouds and wind gusts around 15 mph were present during the plane's approach to Tampa, according to past weather data from timeanddate.com .

A pilot on Southwest flight 1256, which landed shortly before the Columbus flight's plunge, said they flew through moderate rain and light chop, according to air traffic control recordings uploaded to YouTube.

"The bad stuff is probably 5, 6, 7 miles out with that gust," the pilot said.

The FAA is also investigating a similar incident that occurred near Oklahoma City in June. A Southwest flight bound for Will Rogers World Airport dropped to around 500 feet before an air traffic controller alerted the pilots to their altitude, USA Today previously reported .

"We are investigating every incident and will take appropriate action based on the findings," an FAA spokesperson said in a statement.

NHart@dispatch.com

@NathanRHart

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: FAA investigating a Southwest airlines Columbus to Tampa flight that dropped to 150 feet