It's Southwest Airlines' turn at being the one with all the publicized problems this week, with two of its jets flying out of the Bay Area needing to make emergency landings due to mechanical issues.
The first incident happened Tuesday morning, when, as the Chronicle reported, a Boeing 737-700 operated by Southwest, en route to Burbank, took off from San Jose Mineta International Airport and needed to immediately turn around due to engine trouble. It took off at 8:05 am and landed safely again at 9 am.
Now, on Wednesday evening, another Southwest plane, a Boeing 737-800, took off from Oakland Airport en route to Reno-Tahoe International Airport, and needed to divert to Sacramento due to a warning light about a wing-flap malfunction.
The plane, Southwest Flight 4474, safely landed in Sacramento at 8 pm, after taking off less than an hour earlier. Per the Chronicle, the warning light came on during the plane's initial descent into Reno.
A Southwest spokesperson said in a statement, "The Crew reported an illuminated flap warning light during the flight’s initial descent. The Crew followed safety procedures and landed without incident."
The statement added, "Nothing is more important to Southwest than the safety of our customers and employees."
It's not clear whether there was, in fact, anything wrong with the plane's flaps, which help control the plane's speed and stability on takeoff and landing.
As the Chronicle reports, the FAA has launched an investigation to determine the source of the warning light, or any possible malfunction.