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It was reported that two planes departing from JFK had a near-collision.
Photo: Benson Truong | ShutterstockIt was reported that a close encounter between an American Airlines Boeing 777 and a Delta Boeing 737 occurred on January 13, 2023 at John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) in New York.
An event that almost led to tragedy
A Delta Air Lines Boeing 737 (registration N914DU) was flying to Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, when an American Airlines Boeing 777 (registration N754AN) crossed the same runway. An air traffic controller noticed the American Airlines Boeing 777 and forced Delta Air Lines Flight DL1943 to abort takeoff. The first report of the incident came via Twitter, according to JonNYC’s View from the Wing.
SIMPLEFLYING VIDEO OF THE DAY
A recording from LiveATC.net revealed an air traffic controller instructing DL1943 to abort takeoff. The air traffic controller yelled, “Delta 1943 cancel takeoff clearance.” Subsequently, Delta’s Boeing 737 aborted takeoff within two seconds, clearing the runway.
Meanwhile, American Airlines Flight AA106, bound for London Heathrow Airport (LHR), appeared not to have had clearance to cross that runway. According to air traffic control records, the Boeing 777 was supposed to depart runway 4L, but stopped briefly on runway 31L.
Photo: Vincenzo Pace | Easy flying
Simple Flying has reached out to American Airlines and the FAA for comment.
The American Airlines Boeing 777 bound for London Heathrow Airport in the United Kingdom took off 20 minutes after the incident. Meanwhile, the Delta Air Lines Boeing 737 was returning to the gate after a takeoff aborted.
Flight DL1493 between New York JFK Airport and Santo Domingo departed 15 hours later, according to passenger Brian Healy.
Rare occurrence
For a safe takeoff and landing, pilots must constantly communicate with air traffic controllers and ground crew to avoid a catastrophic runway accident.
It should be noted that runway incidents and accidents can be attributed to a variety of causes, such as: B. Pilot or air traffic control errors, inadequate runway maintenance, unauthorized movements and technical malfunctions. But while runway collisions are extremely rare, they do occasionally occur.
The latest runway incident was reported in September 2022, when the winglet of a Korean Air aircraft made contact with the tail rudder of an Icelandair Boeing 757 at London Heathrow Airport, UK. Although this was described as a “minor incident”, it was still considered a serious incident.
Photo: American Airlines
Meanwhile, the deadliest runway accident occurred when two Boeing 747 planes crashed on the runway at Los Rodeos Airport in 1977. The KLM plane, early in its takeoff, collided with the Pan Am plane, which remained on the runway, resulting in the loss of 583 lives.
Sources: LiveATC.net; view from wing; JonNYC