FAA is investigating a midair near-collision between two planes near the Phoenix airport
KPHO, KTVK, LIVEATC.NET, JUSTIN GIDDENS, CNN
By Karina Tsui, CNN
(CNN) — The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating a narrowly missed midair collision between a United flight and a Delta flight at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport on Saturday, the agency said.
Delta Flight 1070 had been cleared to land at Sky Harbor’s Runway 8 when a collision warning went off in the cockpit at roughly 11 a.m., according to CNN affiliate KTVK. The flight, carrying 245 passengers, was inbound from Detroit.
At the same time, a similar alert was set off on a United Flight 1724 from San Francisco, carrying 123 passengers, the affiliate reported.
The FAA noted both planes landed safely “after experiencing a loss of required separation when they were inbound,” adding that air traffic control issued corrective instructions to both crews.
CNN has reached out to Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, Delta Air Lines and United Airlines for comment.
The incident in Phoenix follows a rise in recent years of “runway incursions” across airports in the United States. Among the most recent close calls was a near-collision at the Austin-Bergstrom International Airport in February 2023, where a FedEx Boeing 767 and a Southwest Airlines Boeing 737, were, at their closest point, 150 feet apart.
A later investigation led by the National Transportation Safety Board found that the two jets nearly collided because an air traffic controller had a faulty assessment of heavy fog.
Another near-collision between two planes at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York in 2023 was caused by pilots who were repeatedly distracted in the cockpit, the NTSB found.
In recent years, the FAA has responded to the string of incidents with additional controller training and a rare summit to address the spate of close calls on America’s runways. Among the topics addressed has been air traffic controller fatigue.
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