2 Planes Narrowly Avoid Collision At Austin Airport, FAA Says

Two planes narrowly avoided a collision at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport on Saturday after a departing flight and arriving flight were both cleared to use the same runway, officials said.A FedEx cargo jet was attempting to land at the airport Saturday morning and had been cleared by air traffic controllers to do so several miles from the runway. The Federal Aviation Administration said, however, a Southwest Airlines plane was also cleared to depart moments later from the same location.Advertisement

The FedEx plane aborted its landing, circled the airport and landed safely shortly thereafter. Flight tracking footage shows the two aircraft nearly overlapping each other at the time.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“Shortly before the FedEx aircraft was due to land, the controller cleared Southwest Flight 708 to depart from the same runway,” the FAA said in a statement. “The pilot of the FedEx airplane discontinued the landing and initiated a climb out. The Southwest flight departed safely.”The incident will be investigated by the FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board.The New York Times reported Sunday that weather conditions in Austin weren’t ideal at the time of the incident. Air traffic controllers alluded to reduced visibility, although officials haven’t confirmed what caused the mix-up.Advertisement

This is the second near-collision in recent weeks. Two commercial planes at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York nearly crossed paths last month.Relatedsouthwest airlinesAustin fedexWatch How Close Chinese Fighter Jet Flies To U.S. Air Force PlaneHistoric Military Planes Collide At Dallas Air Show As Crowd Looks On2 Southwest Planes Collide On Tarmac At Nashville Airport Go To Homepage