Investigators probing a possible near-collision between two aircraft on an airport runway in Austin, Texas
CNN, WCBS
By Pete Muntean, CNN
A FedEx cargo plane trying to land at an Austin, Texas, airport had to change course Saturday to avoid a potential collision with a Southwest Airlines jet that was taking off from the same runway, officials said.
The National Transportation Safety Board said it’s 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 Runway 18 Left, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.
“Shortly before the FedEx aircraft was due to land, the controller cleared Southwest Flight 708 to depart from the same runway,” said the FAA.
The FedEx flight “discontinued the landing and initiated a climb out” and “the Southwest flight departed safely,” the FAA added.
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 prompted a Delta Air Lines plane to stop its takeoff from the same runway.
The Delta plane stopped within 1,000 feet of the American jet, narrowly avoiding a catastrophic collision.
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