On Monday evening, another horrifyingly close call between two planes took place on a runway in Boston. The Federal Aviation Administration has confirmed that it’s investigating a near-collision at Boston Logan airport that could have killed hundreds of people.
The FAA’s official statement on the incident reads, “The pilot of a Learjet 60 took off without clearance while JetBlue Flight 206 was preparing to land on an intersecting runway. An air traffic controller instructed the pilot of the Learjet to line up and wait on Runway 9 while the JetBlue Embraer 190 landed on Runway 4-Right, which intersects Runway 9. The Learjet pilot read back the instructions clearly but began a takeoff roll instead.”
As a result of the miscommunication, the FAA reports, “the pilot of the JetBlue aircraft took evasive action and initiated a climb-out as the Learjet crossed the intersection.”
If this were the only collision to take place this year, it would still be concerning. But when you take into consideration the other near-collisions that have taken place this year between large planes in U.S. airports, it takes shape into a much more terrifying trend.
So what gives? Are the rates of these near-collisions actually increasing, or are we just more aware of them? And what’s being done to ensure they stop happening altogether? Here’s what the FAA and an airline expert have to say.
The FAA responds to string of near-collisions
Earlier this month, officials said an air traffic controller double-booked a runway at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport, narrowly avoiding making contact with a Boeing 737 (a plane that’s had its fair share of recent catastrophes, collisions notwithstanding) and a FedEx 767 cargo plane.
In January, a Delta plane that was about to take off was abruptly ordered to halt when air traffic controllers saw an American Airlines plane unexpectedly crossing its runway.
These three moments, including the one that happened this week, are just a small handful of examples of what seems like an unfolding crisis in the airline industry. As a result, the FAA has issued a “safety call to action,” according to a memo by FAA Administrator Billy Nolen.
In the memo, Nolen said he would be forming a safety review team to address these recent incidents, and that a safety summit would be held this March to discuss possible solutions.
“We are experiencing the safest period in aviation history, but we cannot take this for granted,” Nolen said. “Recent events remind us that we must not become complacent.”
Nolen did not offer a possible explanation for why there have been so many close calls.
Why these near-collisions are happening, according to a former pilot & aviation expert
Unsurprisingly, very few individuals who currently work in the airline industry have spoken out about the ongoing issues with near-collisions at airports. But retired pilot and aviation expert Kit Darby spoke with TMZ earlier this month about what he thinks is really going on with all these almost-misses.
Darby has over 30 years of flying experience. He now works as a flight instructor, and has worked for airlines including United, Delta, and Boeing. He was quick to point out to TMZ the sheer volume of flights that take place on a daily basis.
“It’s a very large, very complicated system,” he said. “There’s 25,000 flights a day… but overall, [this number of near-misses] is not an unusual amount. It’s just that they came at the same time, so public awareness is really high.”
When asked specifically about the collision in Austin, Darby estimated, “There’s… 10 or 20 of those a year, and this one was a really bad one, really close.” On the bright side, he added, “nobody was hurt, the system worked, pilots solved the threat.”
Darby acknowledged a common question about whether certain procedures need to change to further minimize these situations.
“What we need to do is follow the procedures we have,” he said. “What we have is a really common problem, it’s at the top of everybody’s list, and it’s practiced over and over by air traffic control and pilots. It’s a triple redundant system, but with millions of flights a year, it doesn’t always work.”
It’s not exactly a totally reassuring sentiment — but Darby was quick to note the positives of the current situation as well. Specifically, the fact that this issue of flight collisions is now going to be a top priority moving forward for everyone. “I’m sure [the training] will be re-emphasized,” he said. “This will be on the top of everybody’s list… [to do] a better job in the future.”
