Less than one month ago, an American Airlines plane crossed about 1,000 feet ahead of a Delta flight about to depart from New York’s Kennedy International Airport. Only a quick-acting pilot prevented this near-miss from being a transportation disaster.
Now there has been another near miss, which could have led to a catastrophic collision between a FedEx cargo plane and a Southwest Airlines plane at a Texas airport on Saturday.
Aviation officials are investigating a near-collision between a FedEx cargo plane and a Southwest passenger flight at a Texas airport on Saturday.The cargo plane had to abort its landing as the Southwest flight was cleared to depart on the same runway, officials said.A voice reportedly from an air traffic control recording is heard warning: “Southwest abort. FedEx is on the go.”The planes were under 1,000ft (304m) apart, a flight-tracking service said.The FedEx jet – a Boeing 767 cargo plane – had been cleared to land at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport at 06:40 local time (11:40 GMT) on Saturday morning, according to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).But an air traffic controller cleared Southwest Flight 708 for departure from the same runway with the FedEx crew about three miles away, flight data interpreted by FlightRadar24 shows.
Once again, disaster was averted by another quick-acting pilot.
The FedEx plane aborted its landing and “initiated a climb out,” or go-around, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.“The pilot of the FedEx airplane discontinued the landing and initiated a climb out,” the FAA said in a statement. “The Southwest flight departed safely.”Data from Flight Radar shows the FedEx plane flew over the Southwest plane at an altitude of 75 feet while the Southwest plane was 4 feet above the ground, possibly making them within 71 feet of each other.“FedEx 1432, climb and maintain 3,000. When able, you can turn left heading 080,” the controller says. “Southwest 708, you can turn left heading 170.”
Experts say such incidents are increasing in number at an alarming rate.
Aviation expert and former American Airlines pilot Juan Browne said: ‘These sort of incidents are increasing at an alarming rate.’There’s a huge turnover in the industry, not only among pilots but amongst air traffic controllers, mechanics, mainters, rampers. And with the state of hiring practices and training today and the relentless effort to do things faster, cheaper and more efficiently we’re just one radio call away from having the biggest aviation disaster in history.’In both the JFK and Austin-Bergstrom incidents, experts have said directions issued by air traffic controllers appear to have been an issue.In a technical breakdown of the circumstances around the near miss in Austin, Browne said the Southwestern aircraft should not have been cleared for takeoff when the FedEx flight was approaching to land – particularly given the poor weather and low visibility.
Meanwhile, Department of Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg was promoting….Transit Equity Day.
The brainchild of labor leaders, advocates for public transit and social justice, and greens across the country, the day highlights the need for and benefits of a reliable, accessible, safe, and climate-resilient transportation system. Last year, US Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg publicly commemorated Transit Equity Day, cautioning that poor transportation policies could “reinforce racial and economic inequality by dividing or isolating neighborhoods.”
We do not have serious leaders, which will eventually have catastrophic consequences because eventually, someone’s reflexes will be too slow, and the luck will have run out.
And without competent personnel in aviation, people of all races, genders, and sexual preferences will be killed in preventable accidents. Death is the ultimate “equity.”
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