Federal Investigation Launched After Two Major Airliners Nearly Collide Mid-Air

The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating a downright frightening incident involving two airliners.

On Monday, an American Airline plane and a Delta plane almost collided mid-air over Syracuse, New York.

One plane was departing while the other was attempting to land on the same runway.

Police dash cam footage captured the moment, which you can watch here:

🚨#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

CBS News reported:

The Federal Aviation Administration has launched an investigation after two planes from major commercial airlines appeared to nearly collide mid-air in an unnerving dash camera video taken by police in Syracuse, New York, this week. Although experts say the flights were not actually on a collision course, based on preliminary evidence, they were for a time flying in very close proximity — just 725 feet apart at their nearest point.

The incident happened at around 11:50 a.m. EDT on Monday, officials said, as the two regional jets navigated around an apparent traffic control error that initially had one cleared to depart from Syracuse Hancock International Airport at the same the other was cleared to land on the same runway.

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.

The New York Post added:

Federal authorities are investigating after two planes appeared to veer too close for comfort over Syracuse Monday, according to dashcam video captured from a distance.

The pair of planes appeared to be on a collision course when watched with the naked eye at around 11:50 a.m. as one aircraft was taking off and the other was preparing to land at Hancock International Airport, according to video captured by the North Syracuse Police Department and obtained by Inside Edition.

The two planes ultimately flew right past each other and safely completed their trips.

A shocked local police officer seen on video watching from the ground pointed to the two planes as she tried to get the attention of another cop.

The planes came about 700 to 1,000 feet from each other vertically, according to ABC 7, which cited FlightRadar24. It’s unclear how close they were horizontally.