Terrifying airport near-miss as two planes almost collide near major city
The captain piloting Republic Airways Flight 4736 could be heard apologising to passengers after he was forced to abruptly abort takeoff at New York's LaGuardia Airport
An airport near-miss saw two jets almost collide in full view of a sprawling city skyline amid what has been a dramatic year for air traffic authorities.
A plane taxiing through New York City's LaGuardia Airport was forced to abruptly abandon a planned takeoff due to the presence of a second aircraft on the runway. The incident saw passengers aboard Republic Airways Flight 4736 jostled in their seats during what was supposed to be a midnight takeoff on May 5 as the pilot slammed down on his breaks. Passengers have described the near-miss with a United Airlines plane as akin to a car accident, with one saying she visited A&E the following morning.
Speaking to the Assocaited Press, shaken passenger Renee Hoffer said the experience was "as hard as any car accident I've been in". She added that she visited the emergency room with pain in her neck and numbness in her left arm a day later.
The Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board said the 12.35am flight was abruptly abandoned because a United Airlines plane was taxiing across the runway at the time the Republic Airways flight was due to lift off. The United flight, a Boeing 737-800, had arrived at the airport - which is fewer than 10 miles from New York's Times Square - from Houston.
The airline said it was carrying around 107 passengers and six crew members when the near miss took place, with FAA saying in a statement that clearance was abruptly revoked after the other aircraft was found to be still taxiing.
A spokesperson said: "An air traffic controller at LaGuardia Airport in New York canceled the takeoff clearance for Republic Airways Flight 4736 because United Airlines Flight 2657 was taxiing on the same runway." Audio uploaded to LiveATC.net captured air traffic controllers yelling over local channels as they scrambled to revoke clearance.
As the pilot broke hard on the tarmac, he could be heard apologising to passengers. News 10 ABC reported he could be heard saying: "Sorry, I thought United had cleared well before that.
"Just stay there for the moment, and I got to get the other United off the way." The planes were reportedly just over a quarter of a mile apart from one another when the clearance was cancelled.
Ms Hoffer said passengers were disembarked following the incident, but not offered accommodation or hotel vouchers to make up for the aborted flight. The issue is the latest in a series that have stretched the US aviation network, with the latest being equipment outages at Philedalphia's Newark Liberty International Airport that have raised concerns over flying at what is one of the busiest airports in the US.
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