- FedEx Corp FDX cargo plane coming to land at a Texas airport could have collided with Southwest Airlines Co's LUV passenger jet was taking off using the same runway.
- The planes came within a thousand feet of each other Saturday morning near a runway at the Austin, Texas, airport, a close call that air-safety officials are investigating.
- FedEx Boeing Co BA 767 cargo plane was cleared to land on one of the runways at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport, a spokesman for the Federal Aviation Administration said, citing preliminary information, Wall Street Journal reported.
- The FedEx cargo plane had abruptly changed course.
- The pilot for the FedEx flight stopped landing procedures and proceeded to climb, the FAA spokesman said. The Southwest jetliner could take off safely.
- "Southwest abort. FedEx is on the go," could be heard in an audio recording of communications from an air-traffic control facility, WSJ writes..
- The National Transportation Safety Board initially sent two investigators to Austin to investigate what happened.
- The National Transportation Safety Board called the incident in a tweet a "possible runway incursion and overflight."
- Also Read: FAA Asks To Extend Safety Mandate To Detect, Mitigate Risks Early.
- Aviation-safety regulators have raised concerns about the potential for collisions on runways and taxiways in recent years. They have adopted new systems to reduce close calls between planes on runways.
© 2023 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.