Summary
- New details have emerged regarding the near-miss incident involving Soutwest and FedEx planes at Austin Airport earlier this year.
- The Southwest Boeing 737 was still on the runway when the FedEx plane was about to touch down.
- The air traffic controller assumed the Southwest plane would depart as soon as it was cleared for takeoff but that was not the case.
The near miss between a Southwest Airlines Boeing 737 and a FedEx 767F at Austin Airport earlier this year set the alarm bells ringing for authorities to take action and reduce the likelihood of such incidents. And now, officials investigating the incident have released details of their findings about what led to the close call on that February morning.
Air traffic controller expected Southwest plane to takeoff quickly
On February 4, a major disaster was averted when a Southwest Airlines Boeing 737 aircraft and a FedEx 767 freighter came within 100 to 150 feet of each other at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport.
Photo: Carlos Yudica | Shutterstock
The Southwest plane was on the runway for its takeoff roll, and the FedEx aircraft was about to touch down when its pilots noticed the 737 below them and quickly initiated a go-around. The incident occurred on a foggy morning, and low-visibility conditions added to the sequence of events.
And now, a report by AP News reveals why the air traffic controller that day allowed the Southwest plane to depart with the FedEx plane on its final approach. The controller, Damian Campbell, told investigators that he expected the 737 to depart almost immediately after receiving clearance.
Campbell added that in his four years of working at the Austin Airport, he has almost always seen Southwest planes depart as soon as they get the go-ahead from the ATC. Of course, that did not happen that morning, and the 737 stayed long enough on the runway for the two planes to come dangerously close to each other.
Campbell added that foggy conditions made things worse as he couldn’t see the Southwest plane on the runway. The report quotes him as saying,
“We had this dense ground fog … you couldn’t see anything. It became a concern when I didn’t hear Southwest’s engines (revving for takeoff on a flight to Cancun, Mexico). And at that point, it became a critical issue.”
FedEx pilot was perplexed
The findings also reveal how the FedEx pilots viewed the situation. The captain of the FedEx aircraft was not very happy about the controller clearing the Southwest plane to take off from the same runway as he was about to land on. But he assumed the Southwest plane to be well down the runway by the time his 767 came in to land. That, of course, was not the case.
Photo: Sundry Photography | Shutterstock
US Pilots Express Safety Concerns Amid Recent Incidents
Several pilots and some lawmakers are calling for the retirement age to be increased.
It was when FedEx’s first officer saw the 737 from around 100–150 feet above the ground that he said, “Go around, go around, go around.” He also tried to stop the Southwest plane from taking off by using the radio, but the 737 took off anyway and continued its journey to Cancun. The FedEx plane landed safely ten minutes later.
What do you make of this incident? Please let us know in the comment below.
