A near miss between a flight of the American low cost Southwest Airlines and a private jet where the two planes approached within 100 feet of each other on a runway of San Diego triggered investigations by two US authorities.
A business jet Cessna was cleared to land on the same runway that Southwest Airlines Flight 2493 was cleared to taxi and await clearance to take off, according to a preliminary review by the Federal Aviation Authority (FAA). The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said it was also launching an investigation.
The incident happened Friday at San Diego International Airport at 12 p.m. The pilot in command of the Cessna jet aborted the landing after receiving an alert from the plane’s surface surveillance system, the FAA said. The Cessna jet passed over the Boeing 737 from Southwest about 100 feet, Reuters reported, citing a source briefed on the matter.
A series of incidents this year have alerted authorities and led to renewed calls for airlines and air traffic controllers to increase their vigilance to avoid collisions on or near runways.
