# Southwest Pilot goes all Far Side; Passengers not amused. **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [November 15, 2013, 1:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/southwest-pilot-goes-all-far-side-passengers-not-amused/673952 "2013-11-15T01:10:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Backwater\_Under\_Duck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ba8739/32.png) [@Backwater\_Under\_Duck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Backwater_Under_Duck)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2013, 1:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/southwest-pilot-goes-all-far-side-passengers-not-amused/673952/1 "2013-11-15T01:10:31Z")
[“We’re going down”](http://consumerist.com/2013/11/14/southwest-pilot-learns-he-should-stick-to-words-like-descending-and-not-were-going-down/), said the somewhat panicked Southwest Airlines pilot over the intercom as he noticed the loss of cabin pressure as they were descending towards the Raleigh airport. Even more panicked passengers began calling loved ones and bracing for the worst before the plane made a normal landing. Southwest later explained, [“As the captain was communicating his plan with the flight attendants, he inadvertently activated the PA system in the cabin.”](http://images.search.yahoo.com/images/view;_ylt=AwrTcXuJcIVS5eEA0weJzbkF;_ylu=X3oDMTI0dWlwN251BHNlYwNzcgRzbGsDaW1nBG9pZAM2ZTM3ZjY1ZWFhN2RjNTY3YTJkNDQ4OGNhMjE1OWMyZARncG9zAzEzMQRpdANiaW5n?back=http%3A%2F%2Fimages.search.yahoo.com%2Fsearch%2Fimages%3Fp%3Dthe%2Bfar%2Bside%26_adv_prop%3Dimage%26va%3Dthe%2Bfar%2Bside%26fr%3Dyfp-t-900%26spos%3D48%26nost%3D1%26tab%3Dorganic%26ri%3D131&w=520&h=685&imgurl=media.yourdailymedia.com%2F4%2F209665_f520.jpg&rurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.yourdailymedia.com%2Fpost%2Fthe-far-side-top-5%2F&size=70.2KB&name=%3Cb%3EThe+Far+Side+%3C%2Fb%3ETop+5&p=the+far+side&oid=6e37f65eaa7dc567a2d4488ca2159c2d&fr2=&fr=yfp-t-900&tt=%3Cb%3EThe+Far+Side+%3C%2Fb%3ETop+5&b=121&ni=64&no=131&ts=&tab=organic&sigr=11mgr8tgm&sigb=14aou4vbc&sigi=11a2g97vn&.crumb=iLAbrQA6VTm&fr=yfp-t-900) ---
**Author:** ![harmonicamoon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/65b543/32.png) [@harmonicamoon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/harmonicamoon)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2013, 3:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/southwest-pilot-goes-all-far-side-passengers-not-amused/673952/2 "2013-11-15T03:43:35Z")
Yeah, probably wasn’t very funny at the time, eh? ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2013, 6:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/southwest-pilot-goes-all-far-side-passengers-not-amused/673952/3 "2013-11-15T06:59:33Z")
He landed the fucker. Everyone lived. Sully-fucking-Sullenberger if you ask me. ---
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2013, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/southwest-pilot-goes-all-far-side-passengers-not-amused/673952/4 "2013-11-15T17:16:32Z")
> [@Gatopescado](#): > > He landed the fucker. Everyone lived. Sully-fucking-Sullenberger if you ask me. Though Sully’s passengers may not have felt very happy had they been listening in when he told ATC “we’ll be going into the Hudson”. _ **His** _ only communication over the general PA was “brace for impact”. ---
**Author:** ![ShibbOleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/848f3c/32.png) [@ShibbOleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShibbOleth)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2013, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/southwest-pilot-goes-all-far-side-passengers-not-amused/673952/5 "2013-11-15T18:02:28Z")
I’ve been on a flight where they had to rapidly descend like that for a cabin depressurization issue. They didn’t say anything at all until they got below 10,000 feet. People were a little freaked out, and he didn’t say anything leading into it. I can’t imagine what they might have been like with “We’re in trouble, we’re going down” immediately before hand. ---
**Author:** ![GusNSpot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gusnspot/32/436_2.png) [@GusNSpot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GusNSpot)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2013, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/southwest-pilot-goes-all-far-side-passengers-not-amused/673952/6 "2013-11-15T19:44:16Z")
Just wish he had done it on purpose. Then it would just be another normal media headline. Bawahahaha Thank the heavens that 99.9999% of airline pilots are not that way about thinking it won’t happen to them. The general aviation group needs to work on this … I am an old pilot because I was only bold ( did crazy things ) when nothing else worked and I turned out to be right. Always helps to be right. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2013, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/southwest-pilot-goes-all-far-side-passengers-not-amused/673952/7 "2013-11-15T20:00:15Z")
If you pay attention, airline crew often avoid the word “landing” because it upsets people with flight anxieties. They say “We’ll be in Phoenix…” or “We’ll have you in Omaha…” Sometimes they won’t even say “down” or “on the runway” but take it all the way to comforting “at the gate.” ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2013, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/southwest-pilot-goes-all-far-side-passengers-not-amused/673952/8 "2013-11-15T20:25:53Z")
How is “landing” any more upsetting than “_final descent_?” Because I hear that one all the time. How many _final_ descents can there be? ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2013, 6:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/southwest-pilot-goes-all-far-side-passengers-not-amused/673952/9 "2013-11-16T06:56:29Z")
Actually, the word “land/landing” is completely avoided (“arrival” is a typical substitute) until ATC says “cleared for landing”. This rule (and for “takeoff” as well) was put into effect after the 1977 Tenerife disaster. ---
**Author:** ![Richard\_Pearse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/richard_pearse/32/13144_2.png) [@Richard\_Pearse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Richard_Pearse)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2013, 9:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/southwest-pilot-goes-all-far-side-passengers-not-amused/673952/10 "2013-11-16T09:14:11Z")
> [@Amateur\_Barbarian](#): > > If you pay attention, airline crew often avoid the word “landing” because it upsets people with flight anxieties. They say “We’ll be in Phoenix…” or “We’ll have you in Omaha…” Sometimes they won’t even say “down” or “on the runway” but take it all the way to comforting “at the gate.” Do they? I’m airline crew and have never had anyone suggest I shouldn’t use particular words. I normally say “arriving” because I assume you want to know when you’ll be getting off the plane, not when the wheels are going to touchdown. > [@JKellyMap](#): > > Actually, the word “land/landing” is completely avoided (“arrival” is a typical substitute) until ATC says “cleared for landing”. This rule (and for “takeoff” as well) was put into effect after the 1977 Tenerife disaster. Are you sure about that? May be it is specifically a US thing. I hear things like “expect a late landing clearance” pretty frequently. ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2013, 12:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/southwest-pilot-goes-all-far-side-passengers-not-amused/673952/11 "2013-11-16T12:03:34Z")
According to Wikipedia, after Tenerife, “the phrase “takeoff” is spoken only when the actual takeoff clearance is given. Up until that point, both aircrew and controllers should use the phrase “departure” in its place (e.g. “ready for departure.”” Perhaps I was misremembering that the same rule applies to “landing” – I thought I’d read that somewhere, but I could be wrong. ---
**Author:** ![Neidhart](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Neidhart](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Neidhart)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2013, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/southwest-pilot-goes-all-far-side-passengers-not-amused/673952/12 "2013-11-19T15:33:50Z")
Aww, he was probably just a Bruce Springsteen fan “We’re going down, hey, hey-bop-a-dee-down-down!” ---
**Author:** ![tracer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tracer/32/20578_2.png) [@tracer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tracer)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2013, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/southwest-pilot-goes-all-far-side-passengers-not-amused/673952/13 "2013-11-21T00:20:53Z")
According to the article linked by the OP, the pilot didn’t just say “We’re going down” – he said: **"We’re in trouble; we’re going down."** Apparently, there was a loss of cabin pressure, so the captain wisely decided to descend to a lower altitude sooner than he would have normally. Unfortunately, his choice of words wasn’t exactly the most reassuring. ---
**Author:** ![Enkel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/df705f/32.png) [@Enkel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enkel)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2013, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/southwest-pilot-goes-all-far-side-passengers-not-amused/673952/14 "2013-11-21T00:42:06Z")
> [@Richard\_Pearse](#): > > Do they? I’m airline crew and have never had anyone suggest I shouldn’t use particular words. I normally say “arriving” because I assume you want to know when you’ll be getting off the plane, not when the wheels are going to touchdown. The one that got me was when they quit saying that we were “landing” and replaced it with “we’ll be on the ground”. It really sounded like they were playing legal games to CYA in case they didn’t technically land and just bounced the thing in (This is on US flights) > [@](#): > > Are you sure about that? May be it is specifically a US thing. I hear things like “expect a late landing clearance” pretty frequently. It always amazes me how a lot of people clap on non-US overseas flights when they land. I know the passengers are saying “good job” but it feels a little bit like they weren’t really sure that the crew would be doing a good job. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2013, 12:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/southwest-pilot-goes-all-far-side-passengers-not-amused/673952/15 "2013-11-21T00:50:49Z")
> [@Enkel](#): > > It always amazes me how a lot of people clap on non-US overseas flights when they land. I know the passengers are saying “good job” but it feels a little bit like they weren’t really sure that the crew would be doing a good job. Any landing [del]you can walk away from[/del] clap after is a good one. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2013, 4:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/southwest-pilot-goes-all-far-side-passengers-not-amused/673952/16 "2013-11-21T04:00:01Z")
> [@runner pat](#): > > Any landing [del]you can walk away from[/del] clap after is a good one. I got The Clap from a stewardess once. It wasn’t good. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2013, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/southwest-pilot-goes-all-far-side-passengers-not-amused/673952/17 "2013-11-21T15:36:37Z")
> [@tracer](#): > > According to the article linked by the OP, the pilot didn’t just say “We’re going down” – he said: > > **“We’re in trouble; we’re going down.”** > > Apparently, there was a loss of cabin pressure, so the captain wisely decided to descend to a lower altitude sooner than he would have normally. Unfortunately, his choice of words wasn’t exactly the most reassuring. What I heard on the news here was that only part made it over the PA- he said “We’re going down _to 10,000 feet._” was the actual quote, but the rest of it wasn’t actually said over the PA, or the passengers freaked out before the rest was said. > **[Pilot's “Going Down” Remark Leads to Scare on Southwest Flight](https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/pilots-going-down-remark-leads-to-scare-on-southwest-flight/1933105/)** > > A passenger on a Southwest Airlines flight scribbled a message on his arm to his family saying “I love you all” after the plane nosedived and the pilot announced, “We’re going down.” (the writeup of the story I watched last week) ---
**Author:** ![Laggard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/9de053/32.png) [@Laggard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Laggard)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2013, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/southwest-pilot-goes-all-far-side-passengers-not-amused/673952/18 "2013-11-21T18:25:24Z")
When does the sterile cockpit rule come into effect? Nevermind, Wikipedia tells me that it’s below 10,000 feet. Not that he violated the rule. Or did he? ---
**Author:** ![MOIDALIZE](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e274bd/32.png) [@MOIDALIZE](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MOIDALIZE)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2013, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/southwest-pilot-goes-all-far-side-passengers-not-amused/673952/19 "2013-11-21T19:00:59Z")
“We’ll be on the ground. Soon!!!” :eek: ---
**Author:** ![Richard\_Pearse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/richard_pearse/32/13144_2.png) [@Richard\_Pearse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Richard_Pearse)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2013, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/southwest-pilot-goes-all-far-side-passengers-not-amused/673952/20 "2013-11-21T20:28:43Z")
> [@Laggard](#): > > When does the sterile cockpit rule come into effect? > > Nevermind, Wikipedia tells me that it’s below 10,000 feet. Not that he violated the rule. Or did he? No. The sterile cockpit rule is no unnecessary conversation, there can be lots of talking but it should all be related to flying the aeroplane. Giving instructions to the cabin crew is not breaking the sterile cockpit. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/southwest-pilot-goes-all-far-side-passengers-not-amused/673952.md?page=2)