On Tuesday at 5:42 a.m., Flight 4805 of Southwest Airlines took off from a closed runway that had a vehicle on it, despite air traffic control attempting to warn the pilots. The National Transportation Safety Board is currently investigating the incident involving Flight 4805, which departed Portland, Maine for Baltimore.
According to a notice to flight crews (NOTAM), Runway 29 was supposed to be closed for takeoff until 5:45 a.m., but the aircraft took off without communication. An audio recording published by LiveATC.net reveals that the controller cautioned the Southwest pilots about the closed runway as the plane departed, but despite the warnings, it continued without communication. The Portland ATC tower does not officially open until 5:45 a.m., so pilots are expected to communicate on the common traffic advisory frequency to keep other pilots informed of the situation.
Southwest Airlines stated that it is working with the NTSB and Federal Aviation Administration to understand what happened and that the flight continued safely to its destination. However, this incident is one of several involving Southwest planes in recent months, including low-altitude alerts, accidental dives, and stability issues on other flights. Southwest Airlines is under scrutiny as the NTSB looks into each incident to ensure aviation safety.
The preliminary report of this incident is expected in 30 days by National Transportation Safety Board while they investigate what led to this event happening.