Southwest 737 Struck by Lightning, Communication Lost
A turbulent ride for Southwest Airlines as their jet faces an unexpected electrical tangle over Denver. Imagine cruising along without a care, and then – zap! Lightning decides to join the party. It’s a real cliffhanger moment as pilots lose radio contact. Fasten your seatbelts; it’s going to be a bumpy read.
Southwest 737 has a bumpy landing in Denver
Picture this: it’s Sunday, May 25, 2025, and we’re talking about Southwest flight WN168, taking a routine hop from sunny Tampa to the Rocky Mountain highs of Denver. On a one-year-old Boeing 737 MAX 8, no less. The registration? N8887Q, for those who geek out on aviation trivia.
Most of the 1,506-mile journey is smooth sailing. Then, around 8 PM, with thunderstorms lurking, it’s game on. Descending through 11,000 feet, Mother Nature decides to play its hand, and the plane gets kissy with a bolt of lightning.
Lightning hits planes all the time – a shocking revelation, right? But this time, things get dicey as the pilots’ voices fade into static. Goodbye, radio chatter. Cue the air traffic controllers stepping up, declaring an emergency on their behalf. Talk about stealing the spotlight!
The controllers handled the electro-drama like pros, dishing out directives and asking pilots to “IDENT” back if they got it. A dozen tense minutes later, our heroes touch down safely in Denver. Bravo!
Check out their journey map [Imagine nifty graphics here].
Listen and Laugh
There’s an audio reel of the whole shebang, and it’s, well, electrifying. Another plane got zapped right before this one, but it didn’t lose touch—the lucky devils. Word to the wise from the controllers: “fuel onboard and souls remaining.” A mix-up to chuckle about in a high-stakes moment.
Since then, the plane’s been grounded – no flying practice for this bird. Tomorrow, May 29, it’s supposedly taking to the skies again. Fingers crossed maintenance worked its magic.
More Than Just a Zap
Over on The Aviation Forum, folks are buzzing. They mention how lightning can outwit a plane by messing with the receiver antenna. Imagine if it had fried the whole communication system – now that would’ve been a script for disaster! But fear not, this 737 dodged that misfortune.
Surprise! Planes meet lightning more often than you’d think
The Southwest flight made it safely, minus any heart-stopping injuries. But if lightning freaks you out, there’s no need to stockpile travel-sized holy water before your next trip. Turns out, not all strikes result in a jittery jump-scare or “Twilight Zone” episode playing in the cabin.
Plenty of us, myself included, have been in the hot seat when lightning checks in uninvited. The initial bang can have you clinging to the armrests, but flights usually carry on in reassuringly ordinary fashion.
Bottom Line
A Southwest Boeing 737 MAX takes a leisurely jaunt through the Denver skies and, voilà, lightning feels the need to call dibs. This time, the touch of Zeus knocked out the cockpit chat, and the pilots were mum. With quick-thinking air traffic control entries and exits, the aircraft lands safely, leaving us with a tale to remember.
Just another day in the sky… Oh, and if you feel inspired to take a grounded adventure, try the Val Seny ski resort. It’s guaranteed less shocking, quite literally.
Your thoughts on this electrifying Southwest 737 saga?