Investigation into what caused American Airlines plane to nearly collide with ... trends now
Hundreds of lives were saved at JFK airport, as two planes narrowly avoided colliding with each other on the runway, thanks to a new sophisticated radar system which is only available at a few airports across the country.
The near collision between an American Airlines Boeing 777 and a Delta Boeing 737 came just a week after the American's union complained of new pre-flight protocols which had caused delays as pilot's sorted through the procedures.
The departing Delta plane then came to a safe stop on the John F. Kennedy International Airport runway as the American Airlines jet crossed in front around 8:45 p.m. Friday, the Federal Aviation Administration said in a statement.
The collision was avoided thanks to a sophisticated radar system used on the ground by JFK Airport, the Airport Surface Detection Equipment, Model X. The system collects data from censors to warn the tower of potential collisions.
Last week, the Allied Pilots Association, which represents 15,000 American Airlines pilots, raised concerns about a new cockpit protocols enforced by the airline, without adequate training. These procedures may become part of the FAA and TSA investigation into the incident.
Last week, the Allied Pilots Association, which represents 15,000 American Airlines pilots, raised concerns about a new cockpit protocols enforced by the airline
The new checks have been in force since Tuesday January 11. The procedures deal with cockpit communications during critical events such as low visibility landings, according to the union.
'The operational changes that management is attempting to implement without fulsome training alters how pilots communicate, coordinate, and execute flight safety duties at some of the most high-threat times of flight,' Allied Pilots Association (APA) said in a post last Monday.
The changes were imposed over a bulletin, according to the union. 'This attempt to train by bulletin, while ignoring serious safety concerns and well-established best practices, runs the risk of dramatically eroding margins of safety,' it added.
American said, in an emailed statement to Reuters, 'these changes represent industry best practice and ensure improved crew coordination and consistency across fleet types so that our pilots can easily transition across different aircraft if they choose.'
'These updates have been underway since 2021 and have been a coordinated effort with APA's Training Committee,' the airline said, adding that the approach to familiarizing pilots has been approved by the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration.
The Delta flight was preparing for takeoff when it was forced to slam on the brakes, stopping just 1,000 feet from a possible fatal collision.
An American Airlines plane was seen crossing the path of a Delta flight as it was about to take off. Air traffic control exclaimed 's***!' as they noticed the potential collision
It seems the unnamed American Airlines pilot had crossed into the wrong lane, popping up right in front of the accelerating Delta plane.
But throughout it all, the Delta pilot seemed calm and collected, even calmly telling Air Traffic Control he'd have to simply return to the gate and 'make some phone calls.'
FTA recordings detail the moments immediately before and after the potential crash at New York City's John F. Kennedy International Airport at around 8.45pm Friday.
It begins with the American Airlines pilot saying the flight was ready to taxi onto a runway, to which an air traffic controller says they should take runway 4 left and 'hold short
