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JFK runway: Federal officials investigating near miss of two planes

Federal officials are investigating a near miss involving two planes that occurred at John F. Kennedy International Airport on Friday night, when a pilot had to abort a takeoff to avoid hitting another jet crossing the runway, according to federal aviation officials and an audio recording of the incident.

Air traffic controllers called off Delta Air Lines Flight 1943 as it prepared to take off at 8:45 p.m. after noticing that an American Airlines Boeing 777 was crossing the runway in front of it, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.

The Delta plane, a Boeing 737, came to a safe stop about 1,000 feet from where American Flight 106 had crossed the runway from an adjacent taxiway, the FAA said.

It all happened in about 12 seconds, according to an audio recording by LiveATC, a website that monitors and shares air traffic control communications.

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About four seconds after an air traffic controller told the Delta crew they were “clear for takeoff,” the same controller said, “Delta 1943, cancel takeoff clearance! Delta 1943, cancel takeoff clearance!” A Delta crew member then said the plane would return to the gate.

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About a minute later, the controller told an American crew member of a “possible pilot deviation.” The crew member responded, “The last clearance we were given, we were cleared to cross. Is that correct?” The controller responded, “You were supposed to depart Runway 4 left. You’re currently holding short of 3-1 left.”

The FAA statement did not mention any injuries. The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating, according to an NTSB tweet.

JFK is one of 35 major U.S. airports with a system that shows detailed movement of planes and vehicles on runways and taxiways, which alerts air traffic controllers of potential collisions, according to the FAA’s website.

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A spokesperson for American referred questions about the incident to the FAA.

A Delta spokesperson said the plane, which was headed to Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic, returned to the gate, where the 145 passengers and six crew members exited. The flight was delayed overnight “due to crew resources,” and passengers were provided overnight accommodations before leaving Saturday morning, the statement said.

“Delta will work with and assist aviation authorities on a full review of flight 1943 on Jan. 13 regarding a successful aborted takeoff procedure at New York-JFK,” the Delta statement said. “We apologize to our customers for the inconvenience and delay of their travels.”

American Flight 106 typically travels to London, according to the FlightAware website.

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Tobi Tarwater

Update: 2024-07-10