An incident occurred at New York City's LaGuardia Airport involving a Southwest Airlines plane that veered off course during an attempted landing in bad weather. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is investigating whether the plane came close to an air traffic control tower during the incident on March 23 around 1 p.m. The crew of Flight 147 was instructed to perform a go-around by an air traffic controller due to the inclement weather conditions at the airport. Southwest Airlines stated that the flight experienced turbulence and low visibility during the landing.
In a separate incident, a Boston-bound flight from San Francisco was forced to divert to Denver after the plane's wing came apart midair. The flight ultimately landed in Baltimore. The FAA is also investigating this incident to determine the cause of the mechanical issue with the plane.
A go-around is a procedure where an arriving aircraft aborts its landing and returns to the landing queue. This action may be taken by pilots if there is doubt over the landing surface, according to the FAA airplane flying handbook.
Southwest Airlines and United Airlines were not the only carriers affected that day. JetBlue Flight 698, also attempting to land at LaGuardia, encountered wind shear, which forced the plane to abort its landing. Wind shear is defined as a change in wind speed or direction over a short distance, according to the FAA.
Both incidents are under investigation by the FAA to ensure the safety of air travel and to determine any necessary measures to prevent similar incidents in the future. Airlines have stated that they are reviewing the events as part of their safety systems to ensure the well-being of passengers and crew members.