A Southwest Airlines Boeing 737 Max 8 aircraft is being investigated by federal officials for a “Dutch roll” while in flight.
A Dutch roll is a lateral movement, often a rolling motion, where an aircraft is moving around two axes at the same time. The plane essentially rocks from wingtip to wingtip, like a Dutch ice skater. It’s most common at high altitudes. The incident occurred on May 25 at 8 a.m. Pacific time on Southwest flight 746 from Phoenix to Oakland at about 34,000 feet in the air.
There were 175 passengers on board and six crew members, none were injured. A preliminary report from the Federal Aviation Administration showed that an inspection after the flight showed damage to a unit that provides backup power to the rudder. Southwest notified the National Transportation Safety Board of the damage on June 7.
The Federal Aviation Administration, National Transportation Safety Board and Boeing are investigating this issue. National Transportation Safety Board officials said a preliminary report should be available in the coming weeks.
