A Southwest jet was just 150 feet above the ocean before being told to pull up, reports say

The FAA is investigating after a Southwest flight headed to Tampa was diverted to Fort Lauderdale after reaching a dangerously low altitude.

• The FAA is investigating after a Southwest Airlines plane flew dangerously close to the ocean.
• The flight bound for Tampa was diverted to Fort Lauderdale after descending to 150 feet.
• It is the third low-altitude incident involving Southwest this year.

The FAA is investigating after a Southwest Airlines plane flew dangerously close to the ocean last month.

The Boeing 737 Max departed from Columbus, Ohio on July 14 bound for Tampa, Florida, but was diverted to Fort Lauderdale following its dangerously low position over the Courtney Campbell Causeway, outlets including CNN and Fox 13 reported.

According to audio of a conversation obtained by Fox 13, air traffic controllers told the crew: "Southwest 425, low altitude alert, check your altitude."

Tracking data from Flightradar24 cited by CNN showed the plane was just 150 feet above the ocean when it was about five miles out from Tampa International Airport.

A Southwest representative confirmed the flight was then diverted to Fort Lauderdale and said the airline was "following its robust safety management system and is in contact with the Federal Aviation Administration to understand and address any irregularities."

"Nothing is more important to Southwest than the safety of our customers and employees," they said in a statement to Business Insider.

The cause of the incident has not been confirmed. The FAA told BI it had opened an investigation.

Pilots who spoke to Fox 13 said the flight should have been at least 1,000 feet higher, adding that windy conditions could have sent the plane plummeting.

Kent Davis, a retired pilot with more than 30 years of experience, told the outlet that pilot error might have been involved.

"How they got to 150 feet with the number of warnings that are available on an aircraft … it's hard to believe," he said.

"They either started their descent at the wrong point and descended thinking that they were on the proper descent rate to the runway, or something may have malfunctioned."

It's the third report of a Southwest flight descending to a dangerously low altitude this year. In June, the FAA said it was investigating a Southwest flight that descended to 525 feet nine miles out from Will Rogers World Airport in Oklahoma City.

The FAA is also investigating another Southwest flight that was just 400 feet above the ocean off the coast of Kauai, Hawaii, in April, Bloomberg first reported.

Boeing did not immediately respond to a request for comment from BI.