2 Planes Nearly Collide At Austin Airport

US-AVIATION-TRANSPORTATION

Photo: Getty Images

A FedEx cargo plane nearly crashed into a Southwest Airlines plane while attempting to land at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport on Saturday (February 4), the Federal Aviation Administration confirmed in a statement obtained by the Austin American-Statesman.

The FedEx Boeing 767 cargo plane was several miles form the airport and cleared to land before it was forced to reverse course after the Southwest Boeing 737 plane was cleared to depart on the same runway, the agency said.

“The pilot of the FedEx airplane discontinued the landing and initiated a climb out,” the FAA said.

The Southwest flight was given the go-ahead for takeoff on Runway Left by an air traffic controller just as the FedEx cargo plane was expected to land.

FedEx 1432, which departed from Memphis, circled the airport and landed at around 6:51 a.m., according to the Austin American-Statesman.

The National Transportation Safety Board described the situation as a "possible runway incursion and overflight involving airplanes from Southwest Airlines and FedEx,” in a tweet shared on Saturday. Southwest flight 708 made a safe departure, according to the FAA, and landed at its scheduled destination in Cancun at 9:47 a.m. local time, according to FlightAware.

The FAA and NTSB are both investigating the situation.

Last month, two planes nearly crashed at John F. Kennedy Airport in New York. A Delta Air Lines Boeing 737 plane was set to depart at around 8:45 p.m. when air controllers noticed an American Airlines Boeing 777 plane crossing in front of it and frantically ordered to cancel take off clearance on January 13.

The Delta plane came to an abrupt stop and successfully avoided a collision with the American plane, which was about 1,000 feet away as it crossed an adjacent taxiway, according to the FAA.


Sponsored Content

Sponsored Content