Overview
- Southwest Flight 3396 left John Wayne Airport around 11:30 a.m. Friday and stopped its climb near 20,000 feet after the crew reported an engine-related maintenance indication.
- Flight tracking data show the aircraft squawked 7700—a transponder code that signals a general emergency—before the pilots declared the emergency and diverted to Los Angeles International Airport.
- The plane landed safely on LAX’s Runway 25L about 55–60 minutes after departure and no injuries or damage were reported.
- Southwest said the pilots followed established procedures and that the airline will re-accommodate customers on another aircraft.
- The FAA will examine flight data, maintenance logs and crew reports to find the technical cause, a process that could lead to further maintenance actions or operational checks depending on the findings.