‘Transmitting in the Blind’: Lightning Strike Knocks Out Southwest Jet’s Radios on Approach to Denver
- Radio communications were lost between the pilots of Southwest Airlines flight 168 and air traffic control after the Boeing 737MAX with as many as 175 passengers onboard suffered a suspected lightening strike.
Radio communications were lost between the pilots of a Southwest Airlines plane and air traffic control on Monday as the Boeing 737 MAX8 aircraft was on approach to Denver International Airport at an altitude of just 11,000 feet.
The incident occurred on Southwest flight WN-168, which was coming towards the end of a three-hour flight from Tampa, Florida, after a suspected lightning strike on the aircraft.
The suspected lightning strike is believed to have damaged the radio receiver on the aircraft, preventing the pilots from being able to talk with the air traffic control tower at Denver Airport.
Air traffic controllers continued transmitting instructions to the pilots “in the dark,” and these were subsequently followed by the crew, suggesting that one-way communication was still possible.
What does ‘transmitting in the blind’ mean?
Transmitting in the blind / Blind transmission / Transmitting blind
When pilots or air traffic controllers are “transmitting in the blind,” they are broadcasting messages without knowing whether anyone can hear them — and won’t necessarily be able to receive communications back.
This procedure is used when two-way communication fails but when it is suspected that the loss of communication is one-way.
The one year old aircraft with as many as 175 passengers onboard landed safely at Denver Airport around 12 minutes but was then taken out of service for a thorough inspection. The plane is not expected to reenter service until later on Tuesday.
In a statement, a spokesperson for Southwest Airlines confirmed the incident, saying: “On May 25, Flight 168 from Tampa International Airport to Denver International Airport sustained a possible lightning strike while inbound to DEN and landed safely. Our maintenance teams took the aircraft out of service for inspection. There were no injuries.”
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) confirmed that it planned to investigate the circumstances of the incident.
What did happen on Southwest Flight 168 is not, however, believed to be linked to wider issues with the US air traffic control system that Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy has vowed to overhaul with a brand new and state-of-the-art system that will replace decades-old air traffic control hardware.
Earlier this month, Duffy promised to make the US air traffic control system the “envy of the world” as he laid out plans to replace antiquated core infrastructure with new fiber, wireless, and satellite technologies at sites across the country.
