WN2504 - Incident: Southwest B738 at Chicago on Feb 25th 2025

A Southwest Airlines Boeing 737-800, registration N8517F performing flight WN-2504 from Omaha,NE to Chicago Midway,IL (USA), was in the flare to land on Midway's runway 31C at 08:48L (14:48Z), when the crew initiated a go around due to a business jet crossing the runway. The aircraft climbed out to safety, positioned for another approach and landed safely on runway 31C about 15 minutes later.

A Bombardier Challenger 35 was taxiing for departure from runway 22L and was tracking runway 04L crossing runway 31C.

Tower was just about to instruct the Boeing to go around when the crew already reported they were going around. Later the crew queried how that happened but was instructed to contact approach.

The Bombardier was in contact with ground and had been instructed to hold short of runway 31C. Following the occurrence ground again advised their holding instructions had been to hold short of runway 31C, the crew was given a phone number for pilot deviation.

According to ADS-B data WN-2405 was in the flare only a few feet above the runway surface about 500 meters/1600 feet short of the intersection with runway 04L, when the aircraft began to climb again crossing the intersection with runway 04L at 780 feet MSL (about 150 feet AGL, transponder altitude reading 900 feet corrected for ambient pressure to 780 feet) about 7 seconds later.

Later the day the NTSB announced: "NTSB is investigating Tuesday's runway incursion that occurred when a Southwest Airlines Boeing 737-800 initiated a go-around after a business jet entered the same runway at Chicago Midway International Airport."

On Mar 18th 2025 the NTSB released their preliminary report summarizing the taxi of the Challenger as follows:

They indicated that they called MDW ground control and asked for taxi instructions from the signature ramp at “whiskey”, however, the crew stated the response they received did not make sense to them. They were initially given a clearance to taxi to runway 22L via F taxiway and to hold short of 4L. After the flight crew requested ground control to clarify the taxi instructions, they were given a new taxi route of taxiway A to taxiway F with a hold short of runway 04L/22R (figure 3). When they were on Taxiway F, ground control instructed them to turn left onto runway 04L, cross runway 31L and then hold short of runway 31C. The flight crew initially read back the instructions incorrectly; however, the ground controller immediately reissued the instructions and received a correct readback.

According to postincident statements, the flight crew of LXJ560 indicated that as they turned left onto runway 4L/22R, the sun was impeding visibility from the right side of the aircraft, however they did not recall seeing any hold short line/pavement markings or any other signs for the 31L intersection as they taxied onto runway 04L/22R. They stated that taxiway F and runway 13R/31L were in close proximity to each other and by the time the nosewheel had straightened out, they were likely halfway across runway 13R/31L. They further stated that runway 13R/31L appeared to have a very similar width to taxiways and that they had not recognized it as a runway. The captain stated that as he approached runway 13C/31C he had thought it was runway 13R/31L. As they approached the runway intersection the crew stated they both looked to the left and to the right and did not observe the SWA airplane on final.

As LXJ560 approached the hold short line for runway 31C the ground controller instructed LXJ560 to hold short, but the transmission was not acknowledged.

As they were crossing/exiting runway 13C/31C, they were contacted by ground informing them to hold position. The captain continued to clear the runway intersection and subsequently stopped the airplane so the tail was not over any part of the runway. Ground control requested they taxi forward to clear the runway safety area and then hold short of taxiway “H.” Once the captain cleared the runway safety area, he stopped the airplane and ground control informed them that they had crossed 31C and provided a number to call for a possible pilot deviation.

After about 5 minutes the crew was issued taxi instructions to continue on runway 4L/22R, turn left on taxiway “N” to “N2,” and hold in the north triangle. The captain once in the triangle set the parking brake, transferred control to the first officer, and contacted the tower via the phone number provided. He subsequently contacted the operator to notify them of the possible pilot deviation, assessed their well being to continue the flight, and subsequently departed about 25 minutes after the runway incursion. The rest of their flight was uneventful.

Related Flight: WN2504, Southwest Airlines News