Cargo Plane Nearly Collides With Southwest Airlines Flight At US Airport Runway

A cargo plane and a commercial jet almost collided at Austin Airport in the United States on February 4, after air traffic control (ATC) cleared them to use the same runway, as per a report in the Independent.

According to the Federal Aviation Administration, a FedEx cargo plane was about to land on a runway where a Southwest Airlines flight was taking off when it abruptly changed course. As per a flight-tracking group that analysed the data, radar of the near-collision showed the FedEx plane flying directly over the Southwest jet, and at their closest points horizontally, the two aircraft were less than 1,000 feet apart, the outlet stated.

To avoid a collision with the Southwest Boeing 737, the FedEx Boeing 767 cargo plane pulled up and cancelled landing at the last minute. The Southwest flight took off on time, while the FedEx plane circled and safely landed 12 minutes later, the outlet further said.

It is still unclear whether the FedEx plane took prompt action after ATC advised it to or whether the pilots made the decision on their own.

An animated video posted by Flightradar24 on Twitter shows the FedEx Boeing 767 cargo jet approaching the same runway as the Southwest plane. It briefly appears to be flying directly over the Southwest plane before abruptly turning away.

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

The Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) are looking into the incident, which was described as a "possible runway incursion" by the NTSB. 

The cargo plane, which had taken off from Memphis, "safely landed after encountering an event just before landing at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport Saturday morning," a FedEx spokesperson told the Independent.

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According to the Washington Post, in an audio recording reportedly released from air traffic control in Austin, "Southwest abort. FedEx is on the go," can be heard saying. However, it is mentioned that it is yet to be understood whether the warning was issued by the pilot of the Boeing 767 or air traffic controllers.