Newly Released Audio of Southwest Airlines Pilot: ‘We’ve Lost the Cabin’
- Posted on July 6, 2011 at 9:23pm by
Tiffany Gabbay
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DALLAS (AP) — A Southwest Airlines pilot didn‘t wait around for approval from air traffic controllers before beginning an emergency dive after a hole ripped open in the plane’s roof.
“We’ve lost the cabin,” the pilot told controllers after the April 1 emergency. “We’re starting down.”
The pilot asked the controllers for permission to drop to 10,000 feet after the hole caused rapid decompression in the passenger cabin of the Boeing 737 as it cruised high over Arizona.
One of the controllers on the dramatic audio recordings released Wednesday by the Federal Aviation Administration can be heard relaying the pilot’s request to descend to another controller.
When the second controller hesitated, the first replied, “He’s doing it anyway.”
The pilot guided the plane to a safe landing at a military base in Yuma, Ariz. There were no major injuries.
The air traffic control recordings provide a new look at the tense early minutes after the roof ripped open on the Southwest jet shortly after takeoff from Phoenix.
The pilot quickly declared an emergency and put his jetliner in a descent when its fuselage ruptured at more than 34,000 feet. Controllers scrambled to make sure there were no other planes in the Southwest jet’s path as the pilot made the harrowing, four-minute descent.
The pilot began turning back toward Phoenix. Then a controller noted that the plane was 50 miles from Yuma.
“We’ll take Yuma,” the pilot responded quickly.
“OK, change of plans,” another controller said. “Southwest (Flight) 812′s going to Yuma now; he couldn’t make Phoenix.”
Newly released audio recordings between the pilots of Southwest flight 812:
Hats off the to the pilots who did a stellar job safely landing the damaged aircraft. The only question is: what is going on with Southwest’s planes?
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Comments (71)
djmaguire
Posted on July 6, 2011 at 10:45pmWhen all is said and done we are still the best when it really counts
Report Post »poverty.sucks
Posted on July 6, 2011 at 10:28pmIf you were to die during your next airplane ride, would you go to Heaven?
Report Post »nannyatnannydotgov
Posted on July 6, 2011 at 10:26pmA Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger III moment.
Report Post »fry1goat
Posted on July 6, 2011 at 10:19pmWhat a good job! I just wonder how many of these people will go back to their daily lives, or how many people will change the way that they were.
Report Post »MysteryGirl
Posted on July 6, 2011 at 10:18pmWow! With all the surcharges you now get a “MOONROOF!”
Report Post »101
Posted on July 6, 2011 at 10:12pmThis was news back April 1 after they grounded all 737′s for inspections…Hate to break it to you but it’s July 6th…2 months since this happened…somebody didn’t get the memo!
Report Post »Mumbly
Posted on July 6, 2011 at 10:34pmHence, “Newly Released Audio” in the title. Please read articles before commenting. Oh, I see this is your first class.
Report Post »REDBLOODEDHUSKER
Posted on July 6, 2011 at 10:08pmYou mean the pilots acted (and saved lives) without consulting a committee??? I thought Americans were not capable of that anymore. #sarcasm
Great job SW pilots!
Report Post »ramburner
Posted on July 6, 2011 at 10:25pmWhat did the pilots union say?
Report Post »101
Posted on July 6, 2011 at 10:04pmThis happened over 2 months ago…all 737 were grounded and inspected…Blaze is a couple months behind on the news!
Report Post »Dustoff
Posted on July 7, 2011 at 11:08amDid you see this on the header.
Report Post »___________________________
Newly Released Audio of Southwest Airlines Pilot: ‘We’ve Lost the Cabin’
Nuts-n-Bolts
Posted on July 8, 2011 at 11:41amSome readers are behind on the news. Yes the event was 4/1 but the audiotape release was now.
What is it with Southwest’s planes, you ask? They have a lot of 737′s, some of them old. They need inspection from time to time, and neither the airlines nor the FAA are always ahead of the need. And it can be pretty hard to inspect – if there are cracks under the paint around rivets, you may have to x-ray it, and this means x-raying large portions of the fuselage, with a source inside and receiver outside or vice versa.
Report Post »miles from nowhere
Posted on July 6, 2011 at 10:03pmHoly poop BATMAN!
Report Post »kindling
Posted on July 6, 2011 at 9:58pmI am thinking my flying days are over. I really want to go to Europe but between being legally molested by someone of the same sex…yuck ….and old planes I guess I can just be happy with google earth. That is not to mention terrorists.
Report Post »DMSNC
Posted on July 6, 2011 at 9:55pmAnother Sully!
Report Post »Workforit
Posted on July 6, 2011 at 9:53pmNice job!
Report Post »There are a ton of good people at Southwest Airlines!
angelcat
Posted on July 6, 2011 at 9:52pmThis man should give Obama lessons in how to make a decision when it matters. Kudos to him.
Report Post »Cold War Vet
Posted on July 7, 2011 at 2:43am@ ANGELCAT
Great idea! Our government could use some good decision makers right now!
Report Post »Socialism_Is_The_New_Black
Posted on July 6, 2011 at 9:49pmMaybe ATC was busy watching a movie or checking Hufpo on their mobiles. Congrats to pilot.
Report Post »Afflicto
Posted on July 6, 2011 at 9:46pmWay to make us proud !!
Report Post »GodsPuppet
Posted on July 6, 2011 at 9:46pmGod Bless these very skilled pilots that fly for Southwest Airlines. This is the best airline by far!!!
Report Post »Last Sane Person On Earth
Posted on July 7, 2011 at 8:33amthen why are all their planes falling apart?
Report Post »101
Posted on July 6, 2011 at 9:41pmAmerica commercial airliners the oldest fleet in the world flying 12-25 year old jets with substandard maintenance.
Report Post »THE EQUALIZER
Posted on July 7, 2011 at 12:54amYou are a clueless moron.
Report Post »ItsallaboutJesus
Posted on July 6, 2011 at 9:41pmShould have used Gorilla Tape!
Report Post »AWAKENEDAWARE
Posted on July 6, 2011 at 9:40pmhe and Sully must be cousins! Nice job pilot! I’ll SEND you a beer! Post your favorite bar on this discussion board!
Report Post »melmatmic
Posted on July 7, 2011 at 1:13pmNo this guy didn’t crash in the river. (just kidding!)
Report Post »jason1974
Posted on July 6, 2011 at 9:36pmthe pilot should get a pat on the back and an atta boy for landing the plane
Report Post »Jedrin
Posted on July 7, 2011 at 12:42amProblem is the pilot didn’t wait for permission, the air controller needed to make a phone call asking his supervisor if this was OK, who in turn needed to make call all the way to the top. At the time the buck stopper was out playing golf and didn’t have time to deal with such trivia. So the pilot should have gone into a holding pattern until the buck stopper got back from the 165th vacation and game of ball. So the Pilot will be lucky to only get a few months in jail for making a decision on his own.
Report Post »Dustoff
Posted on July 7, 2011 at 11:11amNot quite.
The pilot had no idea how long the aircraft would remain flyable. If he had held, the plane could have come apart and crashed killing all.
Do you fly? (pilot)
Report Post »Ubermoose
Posted on July 6, 2011 at 9:35pmFantastic job guys!!!
I’m a professional pilot as well.
Report Post »Rapid Cabin Depressurization is a frightening scenario.
These guys did the rest of us proud.
slarmas
Posted on July 7, 2011 at 12:00pmIf it wasn’t for the skill and professionalism of todays pilots I would not fly. To state these guys did a good job is about a 9.0 understatement factor. I am strangely reminded of Cartman saying “screw you guys, i’m going home, “ These pilots aid ”Screw you guys we’re descending” and let ATC figure out how to handle it. They were so far ahead of the situation I am reminded of another situation this resembles. Big government. When it comes down to it it is the metaphore of the guys in the cockpit (local government) who really know what to do and the guys in Washington (ATC metaphorically) who need to shut up and listen. :)
If that made sense yeah, if not sorry.
Report Post »Desert Dog
Posted on July 7, 2011 at 1:35pmBeen there in the military. The pilot did EXACTLY what he needed to do. 34,000 is no altitude to be waiting around for clearance.
Report Post »Lesbian Packing Hollow Points
Posted on July 6, 2011 at 9:35pmThat’s a sphincter factor of about 8.9.
Report Post »godhatesacoward
Posted on July 6, 2011 at 9:42pmi’d give a solid 9!
Report Post »BuckleUpAmerica
Posted on July 6, 2011 at 9:33pmLOL well for starters it looks like the plane has duct tape on it
Report Post »BobEd
Posted on July 6, 2011 at 10:05pmNah…duct tape would not have failed……..
Report Post »drst4scss
Posted on July 7, 2011 at 7:20pmHey that is 700 Mile an hour tape… Ha!
Report Post »tower7femacamp
Posted on July 6, 2011 at 9:30pmSo the TSA can’t save us from crashes ??? And
Report Post »one day we will all die, some of us free and some as slaves.
WINEARTMAN
Posted on July 6, 2011 at 9:30pm“stellar”.
Report Post »dwh320
Posted on July 6, 2011 at 10:02pmI just wish our politicians would respond as quickly and professorially to keeping our economy from crashing.
Report Post »fastfacts
Posted on July 6, 2011 at 11:47pmThis may scare people from flying on Southwest but for me, those pilots were heroes to bring the plane down in one piece and no one was really hurt. Yet we never heard anything about those pilots because the media would rather set the catastrophe that is a Southwest plane instead of a story about a hero.
I am glad though that this was not the case of the plane that landed on the Hudson. Here is a remake of that flight if you are interested: http://tiny.cc/syd8n
Report Post »banjarmon
Posted on July 7, 2011 at 12:33amYa done good SIR!
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