A Southwest 737 Max-8 flying from Kona to Las Vegas yesterday morning had what appeared to be a terrifying incident that ended well. The flight took off from Kona at 720 AM. The Aviation Herald, a reliable source for aviation incidents, reported that “the crew turned around and decided to divert to Honolulu reporting smoke in the cockpit.” The incident was also confirmed by the flight tracking website Flightaware.
The flight landed without incident in Honolulu at 844 AM. A replacement plane was dispatched, which resulted in a delay to passengers of only 3.5 hours, which under the circumstances, seems quite fast.
It was also reported that the aircraft involved in the incident was still on the ground at Honolulu as of this morning.
Other smoke in the cockpit recent incidents in July.
These are clearly concerning and very frightening, especially on trans-Pacific flights, which have among the longest durations over water of any flights. Yet, smoke in cockpit incidents are probably more frequent than we imagine. Here are a few recent examples that took place in the U.S.:
July 17, 2022. UAL at Green Bay, wherein smoke in the cabin resulted in a flight diversion.
July 10, 2022. American Airlines smoke in the cabin caused a diversion to Phoenix.
July 10, 2022. American Airlines “mayday” resulting from smoke in cabin and flight returned to Chicago.
July 5, 2022. Delta Airlines smoke resulted in a return to Charleston.
Were you on this flight, or have you ever been on another diverted flight?
Disclosure: We receive a small commission on purchases from some of the links on Beat of Hawaii. These links cost you nothing and provide income necessary to offer our website to you. Mahalo! Privacy Policy and Disclosures.
Jeremy says
Smoke and weird smells that have no readily apparent origin are fairly common on all aircraft types. And as another comment noted, the air in the cabin is bled from the engines..you know…they burn stuff. Granted not everyone knows that but the world is full of odd smells.
I’d fly on a MAX tomorrow.
Dan J says
Thanks to BOH for reporting the incident fairly and illustrating that it happens to other airlines. Appreciate that.
Regarding the much maligned 737 Max. Dont need to get in a protracted discussion on the cause of the two ill fated crashes in other countries.
Two years and some change later, this aircraft was recertified after the most intense scrutiny b y our FAA and several other foreign entities ever conducted. This without question is the safest commercial aircraft in the world.
Regarding SWA. They have flown for over 50 years with only one customer Fatality. (sadly after an uncontained engine failure)They currently fly 130 million customers a year about 160 million pounds of freight a year.
You ate Safe to fly a SWA MAX!
danj says
Sorry for the typo. You are safe to fly on a Southwest Airlines Max!
Chris M. says
Were all the smoke in the cockpit incidents on the 737-Max 8 planes? I still worry about those planes and wouldn’t fly on one of them.
Mike G says
Smart man. It’s not a safe aircraft by any means
Michael says
Aloha, would you be able to tell what aircrafts had the smoke in cabin issues please? Mahalo
Beat of Hawaii says
Hi Michael.
They were on a variety of aircraft types. You might check Aviation Herald for more details on each one.
Aloha.
Xavier says
I believe that the Hawai’i Congress, the City Council, the Governor’s office, the Mayor’s office, plus HTA, HVCB,OVB, Hawaiian Airlines, Hilton Hotels, Sheraton Hotels, Honolulu International should come together and create an inflight video which teaches incoming visitors in better detail, about what they need to know when they visit the Islands of Aloha! Hawaii isn’t a dump place where you come and leave garbage all over because you are a visitor, nor should you disobey trespassing notices where they are posted, wild animals like Monk Seals, and Turtles need to be respected and left alone!!! It is like going on an AFRICAN safari and go up to a lion Pride and pet the lion cubs….it is stupid!
Laws need to be enforced with fines!!
Don K. says
What most people do not realize is that the air that gets in to the cabin is from the bleed air from the engines and IF there is an oil leak in the engine it can indeed cause smoke or strong smells to happen within the cabin. Fortunately the pilots have their own oxygen supply so that they are not breathing the bad air.
Mike G says
travelandleisure.com/airlines-airports/how-airplane-cabin-air-works
Just a bit of education for you
EricaC says
I refuse to fly an airline that has the MAX in their fleet. It may be “common” to some degree but this aircraft has had far too many issues. Nope!
xavier says
I agree with you 100% I love Boeing but 737 Max are not safe airplanes, in my opinion! They need to remove them all!
Mike G says
Yes they do
Dave says
Aviation24.be/airlines/finnair/smoke-in-the-cabin-finnair-airbus-a350-900-returns-to-helsinki/