HAWAII (QUEEN CITY NEWS) — Another close call for Southwest Airlines is adding to a laundry list of mid-flight scares.

Passengers experienced abrupt ups and downs as what might be felt on a rollercoaster as their plane plunged toward the sea at an excessive rate that triggered alarms.

The incident happened in April but is just now coming to light.

As first reported by Bloomberg, citing a memo that Southwest Airlines distributed to its pilots, a Boeing 737 Max 8 passenger plane plunged within 400 feet of the ocean off Hawaii, before recovering with a rapid climb up to a safe altitude.

“A less experienced first officer inadvertently pushed the control column forward, then cut the speed causing cockpit alarms to go off before the captain ordered an aggressive climb,” the Southwest memo said.

According to flight tracker data, Southwest Airlines flight 2796 dropped from an altitude of 1000 feet down to 400 feet above the ocean in just seconds. This all happened after aborting a landing while attempting to land in bad weather and low visibility in what is known as a missed approach.

Officials said no one was injured and no damage was done to the plane, which returned safely to its departure point in Honolulu.

While instrument approaches to runways in bad weather are common, the plane experienced an unusual brief dive that rattled passengers.

A spokesperson for Southwest Airlines said, “Nothing is more important to Southwest than safety. The event was addressed appropriately as we always strive for continuous improvement.”

The FAA is continuing to investigate the incident.

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