HONOLULU — A Southwest Airlines flight bound for California was forced to make a dramatic U-turn over the Pacific Ocean Tuesday night after the crew declared an in-flight emergency.
Southwest Airlines Flight WN512, operated by a Boeing 737 MAX 8 (registration N8777Q), departed Daniel K. Inouye International Airport (HNL) in Honolulu at 9:40 PM local time on Tuesday, July 7, 2026, on a scheduled nonstop route to San Diego.
According to flight tracking data, the aircraft had been airborne for approximately 90 minutes and was cruising at an altitude of 36,000 feet when the crew encountered an unspecified issue. Far out over the open ocean, the pilots made the decision to abandon the journey, initiating a wide 180-degree turn back toward the Hawaiian islands.
Shortly after turning around, the crew broadcasted a “Squawk 7700” code, the international transponder signal used to officially declare a general emergency. By triggering the code, the aircraft immediately received priority routing and handling from Air Traffic Control as it raced back to Oahu.
Emergency response teams at HNL are reportedly on high alert and standing by to meet the aircraft upon arrival. The flight is currently descending over the Pacific and is projected to touch down safely within the next 30 minutes.
Southwest Airlines has not yet released an official statement regarding the nature of the emergency or the total number of passengers and crew members on board but a source says the return is due to a disruptive passenger.
Two days ago, in a similar incident, another Southwest Boeing 737 MAX 8 declared an emergency and diverted to Honolulu.
This is a developing breaking news story. Updates will be provided as more information becomes available.
UPDATE 10:18 UTC
The flight landed safely on runway 08L, 2 hours and 30 minutes after takeoff.
UPDATE 10:20 UTC
Taxied to the gate.
