Investigation Summary
On November 12, 2013, Southwest Airlines Flight 3426, a Boeing 737-700 en route from Tampa to Raleigh-Durham, encountered a maintenance issue involving the cabin pressurization system during its descent. As a standard precautionary measure to address the loss of pressure, the flight crew initiated a rapid descent to a lower altitude. During this maneuver, the captain intended to brief the flight attendants on the situation; however, he inadvertently activated the cabin's public address (PA) system. Passengers reported hearing the pilot say 'We're going down,' which led to panic and several passengers sending farewell messages to family members. The airline later clarified that the descent was controlled and the maintenance issue was resolved before the aircraft made a normal landing at RDU. The FAA investigated the incident, focusing on the operational communication error and the technical failure of the pressurization system.
Final Conclusions
The incident was concluded to be the result of a technical maintenance alert regarding cabin pressure, compounded by a human factors error in cockpit-to-cabin communication. While the aircraft's descent was a standard and controlled response to a pressurization issue, the accidental PA broadcast caused unnecessary distress. The FAA categorized the event as an operational incident, and Southwest Airlines issued a formal apology for the confusion caused by the pilot's announcement.
Video Analysis
No video analysis linked for this case file yet.
Systems & Failure Modes
Cabin Pressurization System
The system responsible for maintaining a safe and comfortable atmospheric pressure for occupants at high altitudes; a maintenance alert in this system prompted the descent.
Public Address (PA) System
The electronic sound amplification and distribution system used by the crew to communicate with passengers; a switch error caused a private crew communication to be broadcast publicly.
Interesting Facts
- 01The aircraft was carrying 96 passengers and 5 crew members, totaling 101 souls on board.
- 02The incident was triggered by a maintenance alert regarding the cabin pressurization system.
- 03The pilot inadvertently broadcasted a message intended for the crew over the passenger public address system.
- 04Passengers reported a 'nosedive' sensation during the controlled descent to a lower altitude.
- 05The aircraft landed safely at Raleigh-Durham International Airport (RDU) without further incident.
- 06The FAA investigated the event as an operational incident focusing on communication errors.
Safety Actions & Advisories
ADREP Reporting
The incident data was integrated into the FAA and ICAO safety databases to facilitate the exchange of safety information and prevent future occurrences.
Location
APPROXIMATE AREA ONLY · Coordinates are the reference point of the airport named in the location, not the point of impact. No map is shown, because a marker here would imply a precision the record does not have.
Reported location: Raleigh-Durham International Airport, North Carolina