FAA, NTSB investigate close call at New York's LaGuardia Airport
May 19 (UPI) -- A near collision between two commercial jets at LaGuardia Airport in New York City earlier this month is under investigation, the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board confirmed Monday.
A United Airlines Boeing 737-800 and an American Eagle Embraer E175 nearly collided on the same runway, right before an air traffic controller quickly canceled American Eagle's takeoff clearance, according to the FAA and NTSB.
Confirmation of the May 6 incident at LaGuardia comes the same day nearby Newark Liberty International Airport suffered its fourth air traffic control outage since April 28. The FAA is also investigating those incidents.
The close call at LaGuardia occurred at 12:35 a.m. EDT, as an air traffic controller discovered United Airlines flight 2657, with 107 passengers and six crew, was taxiing on the same runway as American Eagle, which was cleared to take off for Buffalo Niagara International Airport.
As the American Eagle plane reached more than 100 knots for takeoff, air traffic control received an automated conflict alert after the United plane, which had landed from Houston's George Bush Intercontinental Airport, missed its designated exit point from the runway.
American Eagle was ordered to abort takeoff. At the same time, a Spirit Airlines pilot was also transmitting on the same frequency, which according to investigators, blocked the emergency communication.
"I thought United had cleared well before that," the controller was heard saying.
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