Passengers on Southwest Airlines flight 3508 had a rough flight on the morning of June 14th. WN3508, flying from Dallas Love Field to Panama City, Florida, was descending when the Boeing 737 operating the route struck heavy turbulence, seriously injuring a passenger, per The Aviation Herald. Severe weather in the area put the 737-700 in a holding pattern, after which the crew diverted to Jacksonville with no further incident.
Severe weather is on the rise, and along with an increase in hazardous weather comes more turbulence. Therefore, it’s more important than ever to ensure that you’re buckled in, as nearly all injuries from turbulence happen to those who aren’t wearing a seatbelt. Let’s explore what happened in more detail.
Adverse Weather, An Injury, And A Diversion
Southwest is currently operating 19 weekly flights between its home in Dallas Love Field and Panama City, Florida. WN3508 was the flight number of the 10:05 departure on June 14th, 2025. This flight was operated by N969WN, a 13-year-old Boeing 737-700 equipped with 143 seats in an all-economy configuration, per Planespotters.net.
Data from Flightradar24 shows that WN3508 departed normally from Dallas Love Field, albeit with a slight delay. The flight cruised unremarkably at 39,000 ft but encountered severe weather during its approach to Panama City. A passenger was injured during severe turbulence, and the crew found themselves unable to make a safe approach into the airport.
Day
Sunday
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Saturday
Flight number
WN311, WN1270, WN1347, WN1421
WN311, WN1421
WN311, WN1421
WN311, WN1421
WN311, WN1421
WN311, WN1421
WN311, WN3508, WN2963, WN1595, WN1421
Aircraft
737-700, 737-700, 737 MAX 8, 737-800
737-700, 737-800
737 MAX 8, 737-700
737 MAX 8, 737-700
737-700, 737-800
737-700, 737-800
737-700, 737-700, 737-700, 737-700, 737 MAX 8
Departure time
09:10, 12:45, 17:20, 21:10
10:05, 21:15
08:55, 20:45
08:55, 20:45
10:05, 21:15
10:05, 21:15
07:55, 10:05, 13:10, 16:10, 18:35
Arrival time
11:00, 14:40, 19:10, 22:55
12:00, 23:00
10:45, 22:10
10:45, 22:10
12:00, 23:00
12:00, 23:00
09:45, 12:00, 15:05, 18:00, 20:25
The flight performed a holding pattern at 2,800 ft for around 10 minutes and subsequently diverted to Jacksonville, where the diversion and landing proceeded normally. In total, the flight lasted around two hours and 40 minutes, when it’s usually blocked at slightly under two hours. N969WN later continued to Panama City.
Severe Weather In The United States
Extreme weather events are on the rise, and severe turbulence, powerful thunderstorms, and devastating hurricanes are occurring at alarming rates. This has serious implications for aviation as hazardous weather is, of course, a safety risk, which means flight crews need to be alert and cautious when such conditions present themselves. Fortunately, pilots are trained to expertly handle these situations, while advanced aircraft systems also add another layer of protection.
Economically, however, this represents a significant, but often overlooked, threat to airlines. In this instance, Southwest needed to spend extra money for the aircraft to fly to Jacksonville and onward. Passengers were likely compensated for the delay, while the time spent hopping between the two Florida cities was time that the aircraft could have instead carried new passengers on another flight. This delay also caused a cascading effect on the aircraft’s subsequent flights for the day.
On a broader scale, severe weather can lead to significant delays for huge numbers of flights. The American East Coast is especially prone to adverse conditions that lead to mass delays and cancellations. Airlines need to rebook passengers, provide compensation, and then, when the airlines’ ancient IT systems crumble under the pressure, this worsens the effects even more.
Up in the cockpit, pilots are trained to safely address hazardous conditions. Modern aircraft systems, such as windshear alerts, help ensure that flight crews have access to resources that aid them when the situation becomes hairy. As for airlines, scheduling planes as out-and-backs from a hub tends to reduce the impact of a single delay, as it becomes easier to substitute an aircraft for another flight if the original plane is held up.
In the passenger cabin, the most important thing is to keep your seatbelt on. A majority of injuries caused by turbulence either happen to crew members or to passengers not wearing their seatbelts, and sometimes, these incidents can turn fatal. Ultimately, planes avoid adverse weather to ensure that there’s no danger to the flight, but the risks still remain.