A Delta Air Lines Flight had to perform an aborted landing to avoid an American Airlines jet at Logan International Airport (BOS), Boston. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is reportedly investigating the incident, which saw the two jets get within roughly 90 metres of one another, while the American Airlines plane was taking off.
What Happened in Boston?
Reports of the incident were first broken on the social media platform X (formerly twitter) by a user who had been following the planes using flight tracking sources.
They stated that the close call occurred at 11:34 a.m. local time Saturday, June 20, between Delta Flight DL2351 from Dallas Fort Worth International (DFW), and American Airlines Flight AA3161 to Charlotte Douglas International Airport (CLT).
The Delta Flight was reportedly cleared to land on runway 33L and had been told that the American flight was being held on the intersecting runway 27. This was not the case however, as the American flight had instead been cleared for take-off.
Fortunately, the Delta pilot was able to perform an aborted landing, before landing safely a few minutes later, after the American flight had taken off, according to a Delta spokesperson.
How Has the FAA Responded?
The FAA is reportedly investigating the incident as part of a wider review of air-traffic control in the U.S.
Todd Curtis, a former safety engineer at Boeing, says that the FAA have been concerned about incidences of unauthorised people or aircraft being present on a runway, known as runway incursions, for a while.
Curtis said that the close call at BOS was “a significant incident”, especially since it involved two professional airline crews.
The U.S. Senate Commerce Subcommittee on Aviation, Space, and Innovation will meet Tuesday, June 23, to discuss ways to improve safety across the nation’s airspace system.
Both BOS and American Airlines declined to speak to the press and referred all questions to the FAA.
What do you think needs to be done to improve airport safety? Do you agree with how Delta Air Lines has handled the incident? Let us know in the comments.
