Summary
- Near-miss at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport as American Airlines aircraft aborts takeoff.
- Air traffic control shortages in the US raise concerns about aviation safety after incidents.
- Incident at DCA follows previous near-collision involving Southwest and JetBlue planes.
The United States Federal Aviation Administration is investigating another close call at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport. The incident took place on Wednesday, and an American Airlines aircraft had to abort its takeoff. No injuries were reported.
Near-miss narrowly avoided
On Wednesday morning, an American Airlines Airbus A319 was scheduled to operate a flight from Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA) to Boston Logan International Airport (BOS). Operating as flight 2134, the flight was supposed to depart at 10:05 but did not leave until the afternoon. As the A319 had been cleared for takeoff and was rolling down the runway, a Hawker Beechcraft Super King Air landed on an intersecting runway.
According to CBS, the King Air had already received clearance to land on the way that intersected with the A319s runway. By the time air traffic controllers (ATC) noticed what was going on, the King Air had already landed and the A319 was forced to slam on the breaks. Reports say that the A319 had already passed 80 knots when it stopped.
After the A319 slammed on its brakes, the pilot told ATC that the aircraft would need to return to the gate for a maintenance inspection. On the recordings, the pilot is heard saying,
“Uh, we’re gonna, we need to talk to maintenance but yeah I think, uh, we were above 80 knots so [we’re] gonna have to get an inspection.”
American Airlines released a statement saying,
“The safety of our customers and team members is our top priority, and we’re grateful to our crew for their professionalism. We will support the FAA in its investigation.”
The FAA said,
“An air traffic controller cancelled the takeoff clearance for American Airlines Flight 2134 because another aircraft was cleared to land on an intersecting runway at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.”
Recent incidents and root problem
This is the second near-miss incident at DCA in six weeks. In April, Simple Flying reported that a Southwest Airlines Boeing 737 MAX 8 and JetBlue Embraer E190 almost collided at the airport. Because of miscommunication, the two planes came within 300 of each other. Thankfully, no one was injured.
Photo: Southwest Airlines
Audio of the ATC control communication with the pilots was posted online and in the recordings, ATC gives the Southwest MAX 8 clearance to taxi across a runway while the JetBlue E190 had been told to take off on the same runway. After the two aircraft were on a collision trajectory, ATC noticed and told both planes to stop.
Related
Another Near Miss: Southwest And JetBlue Have A Close Call At Reagan National Airport
Air traffic control shortages have plagued the United States in recent years, and the strain is being felt even more. Last week, Airlines for America, a trade association and lobbying group, announced a new campaign to hire more controllers. The group represents several major airlines in the US and started a project called “Staff the Towers.” The hope is that through the campaign, the FAA takes swift action to address the shortage.