A FedEx cargo plane trying to land at an airport in Austin, Texas, had to change course on Saturday to avoid a possible collision with a Southwest Airlines jet taking off from the same runway, officials said.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said it was investigating “a possible runway incursion and overflight” involving the two aircraft at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport.
The near collision happened after air traffic controllers cleared the FedEx Boeing 767 to land on Austin’s left runway 18, according to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
“Shortly before the FedEx aircraft landed, the controller cleared Southwest Flight 708 for takeoff from the same runway,” the FAA said.
The FedEx flight “broken off the landing and began a climb” and “the Southwest flight departed safely,” the FAA added.
The NTSB is investigating an incident involving a Southwest 737 and FedEx 767 that occurred today in Austin. Initial ADS-B data show the landing 767 overflying the departing 737. We are processing granular data now. https://t.co/twHCydm5ixhttps://t.co/wZ3Z0xKJem pic.twitter.com/nkKVjshXmf
— Flightradar24 (@flightradar24) February 5, 2023
A CNN has reached out to Southwest and FedEx for comment.
Another near collision was reported last month at New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport, where an American Airlines jet improperly crossed an active runway and caused a Delta Air Lines plane to halt its takeoff on the same runway.
The Delta plane stopped less than 300 meters from the American jet, narrowly avoiding a catastrophic collision.
Source: CNN Brasil
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