Story perspectives

Southwest Airlines Flight Aborts Landing Amid Severe Turbulence

2/19/2026

Summary

Story summary

A Southwest Airlines Boeing 737 encountered severe turbulence and aborted its landing at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) amid a heavy rainstorm on February 18, 2026.
Video footage showed the aircraft fighting strong winds, prompting a go-around.
Passengers described extreme turbulence, and the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said go-arounds are routine in inclement weather and did not release data on flights affected at LAX that night.

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Story summary

A Southwest Airlines Boeing 737 encountered severe turbulence and aborted its landing at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) amid a heavy rainstorm on February 18, 2026.
Video footage showed the aircraft fighting strong winds, prompting a go-around.
Passengers described extreme turbulence, and the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said go-arounds are routine in inclement weather and did not release data on flights affected at LAX that night.