The Federal Aviation Administration confirmed to 蜜桃视频app it is investigating a near collision that occurred Thursday morning at Reagan National Airport in Arlington, Virginia.
Two passenger jets came within 400 feet of each other before controllers took last-minute evasive action and immediately stopped the two planes. It鈥檚 not clear why the jets were authorized to be on the same runway at the same time.
At 7:41 a.m., one controller frantically yelled, 鈥淛etBlue 1554 stop! 1554 stop!” This took place 30 seconds after JetBlue flight to Boston was cleared for takeoff and was on Runway 4, beginning its movement down the runway.
The plane was gaining speed when a controller frantically radioed to the crew of nearby Southwest Airlines Flight 2937 to immediately stop its movement. The Southwest flight bound for Orlando was moving close to the runway, and it appears the two planes were on a collision course.
鈥淪outhwest, stop! Southwest 2937, stop!鈥� a controller yelled.
鈥淛etBlue 1554, traffic holds off your right. Wind calm, Runway 4, cleared for takeoff,鈥� another controller said. The JetBlue pilot acknowledged the air traffic controller and began the flight.
鈥淐leared for takeoff, Runway 4, JetBlue 1554,鈥� the pilot replied.
Radio traffic then shows another unidentified voice urging an air traffic controller to stop the Southwest Airlines flight, after the JetBlue flight is moving and just before the controller issues her urgent call.
鈥淭ell Southwest to stop,鈥� the transmission states.
The Southwest flight had crossed what is called a 鈥渉old short line,鈥� and the pilots stopped the plane before it crossed onto the runway. It ended up facing the oncoming JetBlue plane at an angle at the intersection.
The Southwest pilot replied: 鈥淲e stopped. We were cleared to cross Runway 4.鈥�
鈥淲e鈥檙e stopping, JetBlue 1554,鈥� the pilots of that plane said.
鈥淎n air traffic controller instructed Southwest Airlines Flight 2937 to cross Runway 4 at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport while JetBlue Flight 1554 was starting its takeoff roll on the same runway,鈥� the FAA said in a statement emailed to 蜜桃视频app. 鈥淭he FAA will investigate.鈥�
“This is very worrisome”
鈥淭his is unacceptably close,鈥� retired Alaska Airlines captain and aviation safety analyst John Nance told 蜜桃视频app. 鈥淲e have a dichotomy between two controllers who did not have situational awareness of exactly who was doing what. This is very unusual, because they usually coordinate as seamlessly as possible.鈥�
Nance said the JetBlue flight was moving at an estimated 34 knots, or 39 mph, before it stopped. The plane would become airborne at about 135 knots, about 45 seconds after first beginning its acceleration.
鈥淭his one is going to take some study. We were out of options in this case. The crew had minimal time,鈥� he said.
Both the JetBlue and Southwest flights taxied back to different runways and, a short time later, departed to their respective destinations.
Nance emphasized that the system worked in preventing a collision. However, there were several breakdowns.
鈥淭here was no margin left, if there had been a failure to communicate to JetBlue and they were on a high-speed portion of their take off, they would not have been able to swerve, more than likely with someone entering the intersection at exactly that point,鈥� Nance said.
鈥淗ad the controller failed to issue the warning, you might have easily had a collision. We have backup systems, sometimes they鈥檙e human and sometimes they鈥檙e mechanical, but when you run out of backup systems and one more problem is going to give you the high likelihood of a major collision, this is very worrisome,” he added.
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