The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is investigating a close call between an Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 and a FedEx Boeing 777 at Newark Liberty International Airport, according to reports from Reuters, The Guardian, and Fox News. The incident occurred Tuesday night when both planes were attempting to land on crossing runways.
Key Takeaways
The NTSB and FAA are investigating a close call between an Alaska Airlines passenger jet and a FedEx cargo plane at Newark Liberty International Airport. Both planes were attempting to land on crossing runways when air traffic control instructed one flight to go around.
- NTSB investigates near-miss incident involving two aircraft
- Air traffic controller directed Alaska Airlines Flight 294 to perform a 'go-around'
- FedEx Flight 721 landed safely after being cleared for final approach
- Incident occurred amid ongoing FAA staffing shortages and recent safety concerns
An air traffic controller instructed Alaska Airlines Flight 294, arriving from Portland, Oregon, to perform a 'go-around' because FedEx Flight 721 was cleared for the final approach to an intersecting runway. The FAA confirmed it is also investigating the incident, which occurred amid ongoing concerns about staffing shortages and recent safety issues.
Alaska Airlines stated that its flight had been cleared to land at Newark when air traffic control issued the go-around instruction, noting that pilots are highly trained for such situations. There were 171 passengers and six crew members on board the Alaska Airlines flight. FedEx reported that its flight crew followed instructions from air traffic control and landed safely.
The incident comes a year after a mid-air collision between an American Airlines regional jet and an Army helicopter near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, which killed 67 people. This tragedy prompted Congress to hold hearings and the FAA to implement steps to improve its air traffic control operations. The recent close call at Newark has raised further questions about the FAA's safety performance.
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