The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is investigating an incident where two commercial airplanes appeared to nearly collide mid-air over Syracuse, New York.
Dashcam footage obtained by NewsChannel 9 shows the two jets flying frighteningly close to each other.
“The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating an incident where two planes from American Airlines and Delta nearly collided mid-air over Syracuse, New York. A police dash camera video captured the unnerving moment, showing the planes flying just 725 feet apart at their closest point. The incident occurred around 11:50 a.m. EDT on Monday due to a 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,” Rawsalerts wrote.
“Experts say that, based on preliminary evidence, the flights were not actually on a collision course but were still flying in dangerously close proximity. Delta had 76 passengers on board, and American had 75. Fortunately, no one was hurt in the ordeal, but the close call has raised concerns about air traffic control procedures and safety measures. The FAA’s investigation aims to determine how such an error occurred and to prevent similar incidents in the future,” the post added.
WATCH:
#BREAKING: The FAA is investigating after two major airliners nearly collided in mid-air ⁰⁰
#Syracuse | #Newyork
⁰The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating an incident where two planes from American Airlines and Delta nearly collided mid-air over Syracuse, New… pic.twitter.com/D3ivWZVmGD— R A W S A L E R T S (@rawsalerts) July 10, 2024
WSYR-TV reports:
In a statement the 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.”
ADVERTISEMENTBlue Streak is a subsidiary of American Airlines. Flight 5511, arriving from Washington, D.C., was scheduled to land at 11:19am, but landed at 12:03pm after the “go around” order.
Delta Flight 5421 was headed to LaGuardia.
In a statement, a spokesperson for Syracuse Hancock International Airport deferred airspace-related questions to the Federal Aviation Administration, but said “there were no disruptions to airport operations today.”
WATCH:
NEW: The FAA has launched an investigation after two planes nearly collided at New York’s Syracuse Hancock International Airport.
A commercial flight was forced to abort the landing when an airplane taking off nearly ran into the plane.
The planes came within just… pic.twitter.com/jW5pyqZCeM
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) July 10, 2024
Alarming video shows two planes that look like they are about to crash into each other in the air above an airport in Syracuse, New York.
At their closest point, the planes were separated by only about 725 feet of vertical distance. https://t.co/D8xThlIHaf pic.twitter.com/v2Pc7DPQtc
— CBS Mornings (@CBSMornings) July 10, 2024
Per CBS News:
Audio of Air Traffic Control’s communication with the pilots on both flights indicates that the controller initially gave a green light for landing to American Eagle Flight 5511, a Bombardier CRJ-700 jet operated by PSA Airlines, a regional branch of American Airlines. The controller then gave another go-ahead for departure from runway 28 — the same runway designated for the American plane — to Delta Connection 5421, another CRJ-700 operated by Endeavor Air, which is a regional branch of Delta.
At that point, a pilot on the American flight was heard in the audio, asking, “Wait, who’s cleared to take off on 28?”
Traffic control responded to the American pilot with instructions to abort the landing and “go around,” which the pilot followed. But flight radar data showed that the plane, while climbing to an altitude of around 1,825 feet, continued on a path that ultimately led it over the runway from which the Delta flight was taking off. As the Delta plane left the ground and itself climbed upward, there was a moment when it flew beneath the American plane flying 725 feet above.
ADVERTISEMENTThe American flight turned, descending slightly, so that it was about 675 feet above the Delta plane, but, by then, also 425 feet off of its path. This may have been the time where a North Syracuse Police Department vehicle caught a glimpse of the planes on its dash camera. From a distance, it looked like they were seconds from slamming into each other.
This is a Guest Post from our friends over at 100 Percent Fed Up.
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