A dramatic video has captured the moment two planes from major commercial airlines appeared to nearly collide mid-air in Syracuse, New York. A dash camera from a North Syracuse Police Department patrol car captured the near in-air collision late morning on Monday, July 8. The close encounter stemmed from an apparent air traffic control error that cleared one plane to depart from Syracuse Hancock International Airport while the other was cleared to land on the same runway, CBS News reported.
Controllers initially cleared American Eagle Flight AA5511, a Bombardier CRJ-700 operated by PSA Airlines, to land on runway 28. Moments later, they gave Delta Connection DL5421, another CRJ-700 operated by Endeavor Air, permission to depart from the same runway.
The video shows both planes coming from different directions and appearing dangerously close to each other in the air near Syracuse Hancock Airport. According to the website FlightRadar24, the planes came within 700-1,000 feet of each other vertically. While the Delta flight carried 76 passengers, the American Airlines flight had 75. Luckily, passengers on both planes were unharmed.
Watch the video here:
In a statement, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) told NewsChannel 9, ''An air traffic controller instructed Blue Streak Flight 5511 to go around at Syracuse Hancock International Airport to keep it safely separated from an aircraft that was departing on the same runway.''
A spokesperson for Syracuse Hancock International Airport said ''there were no disruptions to airport operations today.''
The FAA is conducting an investigation and will focus on how such a critical mistake occurred and ensure enhanced safety protocols moving forward.
In a statement to CBS News, Delta said, "Endeavor Air and Delta will work with aviation authorities as we always do in our shared commitment to safety above all else."
