Latest news with #ReneeHoffer
Daily Mirror
22-05-2025
- Daily Mirror
United Airlines plane aborts flight as 'concerning' message found in bathroom
A United Airlines plane had to abort its flight after a strange message was written on the bathroom mirror - the flight was carrying more than 300 passengers at the time A plane was suddenly forced to return to the airport it departed from after a concerning message was found on a bathroom mirror, leading to an FBI investigation. The words 'potential security concern" were found in a bathroom mirror on United Airlines Flight 1169, which departed from Daniel K. Inouye International Airport in Honolulu, Hawaii, on Tuesday. The Boeing 777 aircraft bound for Los Angeles International Airport had to return to Hawaii, a United Airlines spokesperson confirmed. 'United Flight 1169 from Honolulu to Los Angeles returned safely to Honolulu after a potential security concern was found written on a lavatory mirror,' the statement seen by Fox News Digital said. 'Law enforcement met the aircraft, and a security sweep was conducted.' The plane was met by law enforcement, who conducted a security sweep. United did not confirm if anything was found on the plane that had 339 passengers and 10 crew members on board at the time. It is not clear if any arrests have been made in connection with the incident. The full nature of the security concern also remains unclear. 'We are rebooking customers on another flight to Los Angeles that departs later this evening,' the United Airlines spokesperson said. It comes after a passenger jet roaring down the runway toward takeoff at New York's LaGuardia Airport had to slam on the brakes earlier this month. Both the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board said they were investigating the incident in which a Republic Airways jet had to abort takeoff and slam to a stop because a United Airlines plane was still taxiing across the runway. Passenger Renee Hoffer was among those who were thrown forwards in their seats. She wound up in the emergency room the next day after the near miss on May 6 because her neck started hurting and her left arm went numb. 'The stop was as hard as any car accident I've been in,' Hoffer said. In audio from the tower that ABC obtained from the website the air traffic controller said to the pilot of the Republic Airways jet: 'Sorry, I thought United had cleared well before that.' At the time that controller was directing the Republic Airways jet to takeoff, a ground controller on a different radio frequency was directing the United plane to a new taxiway after it missed the first one it was supposed to use to exit the runway.
1News
21-05-2025
- General
- 1News
Passenger jet aborts takeoff to avoid collision at New York airport
When a passenger jet roaring down the runway toward takeoff at New York's LaGuardia Airport had to slam on the brakes earlier this month because another plane was still on the runway, Renee Hoffer and all the other passengers were thrown forward in their seats. Hoffer wound up in the emergency room the next day after the near miss on May 6 because her neck started hurting and her left arm went numb. 'The stop was as hard as any car accident I've been in,' Hoffer said. Both the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board said today that they are investigating the incident in which a Republic Airways jet had to abort takeoff and slam to a stop because a United Airlines plane was still taxiing across the runway. The close call happened despite the airport being equipped with an advanced surface radar system that's designed to help prevent such close calls. In audio from the tower that ABC obtained from the website the air traffic controller said to the pilot of the Republic Airways jet: 'Sorry, I thought United had cleared well before that.' At the time that controller was directing the Republic Airways jet to takeoff, a ground controller on a different radio frequency was directing the United plane to a new taxiway after it missed the first one it was supposed to use to exit the runway. When the passengers got off the plane after the close call at 12.35am, Hoffer said the gate agents refused to even give them hotel vouchers for the night because they blamed the weather even though another passenger said she had an app on her phone that showed another plane was on the runway. Hoffer said she's been stuck in a customer service nightmare since the flight Republic was operating for American Airlines ended abruptly. She said neither the airline nor the FAA has answered her complaints while she continues to nurse the pinched nerve in her neck that the ER doctors identified. Both the airlines and the airport referred questions to the FAA. The number of close calls in recent years has created serious concerns for the FAA, NTSB and other safety experts. The NTSB's investigation of a February 2023 close call in Austin highlighted the concerns, but there have been a number of other high-profile near misses. In one case, a Southwest Airlines jet coming in for a landing in Chicago narrowly avoided smashing into a business jet crossing the runway. LaGuardia is one of just 35 airports across the country equipped with the FAA's best technology to prevent such runway incursions. The ASDS-X system uses a variety of technology to help controllers track planes and vehicles on the ground. At the other 490 US airports with a control tower, air traffic controllers have to rely on more low-tech tools like a pair of binoculars to keep track of aircraft on the ground because the systems are expensive. Expanding the systems to more airports is something Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy would like to do if Congress signs off on his multibillion-dollar plan to overhaul the nation's aging air traffic control system. But it's clear the technology is not perfect because close calls continue happening. The FAA is taking a number of additional steps to try to reduce the number of close calls, and it plans to install an additional warning system at LaGuardia in the future. But the rate of runway incursions per 1 million takeoffs and landings has remained around 30 for a decade. The rate got as high as 35 in 2017 and 2018. But generally there are fewer than 20 of the most serious kind of incursions where a collision was narrowly avoided or there was a significant potential for a crash, according to the FAA. That number did hit 22 in 2023 but fell to just 7 last year. To help, there are efforts to develop a system that will warn pilots directly about traffic on a runway instead of alerting the controller and relying on them to relay the warning. That could save precious seconds. But the FAA has not yet certified a system to warn pilots directly that Honeywell International has been developing for years. The worst accident in aviation history occurred in 1977 on the Spanish island of Tenerife, when a KLM 747 began its takeoff roll while a Pan Am 747 was still on the runway; 583 people died when the planes collided in thick fog.
Daily Mirror
20-05-2025
- General
- Daily Mirror
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 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.
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Two Planes Avoid a Runway Collision at New York's Laguardia Airport
The Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board are investigating an incident where a United Airlines plane and a Republic Airways jet nearly collided on the runway at LaGuardia Airport on May 6 An air traffic controller had to tell the jet to stop after realizing that the United plane was taxiing on the same runway The planes were reportedly just over a quarter mile apart when the pilot on the Republic jet hit the brakesAn investigation has been opened after a Republic Airlines jet had to hit the brakes to avoid a collision with a United Airlines plane at LaGuardia Airport in New York City. The incident, which occurred around 12:35 a.m. on May 6 is being looked into by the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board. "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," the FAA said in a statement provided to PEOPLE. The near-miss occurred even though LaGuardia is equipped with an advanced surface radar system, according to the FAA. The system is designed to help air traffic controllers identify if there is a conflict where planes might collide from within the control tower. "I thought United had cleared well before that," an air traffic controller said in an audio clip obtained by ABC 7. "Just stay there for the moment, and I got to get the other United off the way." Before the pilot was stopped, the outlet reported that the planes were just over a quarter mile apart. The United flight was arriving after departing from George Bush International Airport in Houston on May 5. It carried 107 passengers and 6 crew members, the airline confirmed. Renee Hoffer, a passenger on board the Republic jet, told the Associated Press that she suffered a pinched nerve after being jolted by the plane's sudden stop. She reportedly received the diagnosis after going to the emergency room presenting with neck pain and a numb arm. 'The stop was as hard as any car accident I've been in,' Hoffer said. Never miss a story — sign up for to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. The FAA confirmed to PEOPLE that they had not heard reports of passengers injured in the incident and stressed the importance of passengers being buckled into their seats as recommended by flight attendants. United Airlines, Republic Airways and the Port Authority directed questions about the investigation to the FAA. The NTSB confirmed that they were also conducting an investigation into the incident. The news comes shortly after United cut 35 daily flights into Newark Liberty International Airport in Newark, N.J. The decision was announced by the CEO of United, who said that the decision was to "protect" customers amid 'FAA staffing issues." Newark's airport has generated national headlines in recent weeks, notably after a 90-second blackout cut off communications between planes and air traffic control. In a statement shared with PEOPLE, the National Air Traffic Controllers Association (NATCA) said, "Air traffic controllers in Area C of the Philadelphia TRACON (PHL), who are responsible for separating and sequencing aircraft in and out of Newark Airport (EWR), temporarily lost radar and communications with the aircraft under their control, unable to see, hear, or talk to them." "The controllers did not 'walk off the job' as it has been reported by the media. Due to the event, the controllers took absence under the Federal Employees Compensation Act," their statement continued. "This program covers all federal employees that are physically injured or experience a traumatic event on the job." Read the original article on People
Daily Mail
20-05-2025
- Health
- Daily Mail
Latest terrifying airport near-miss saw two jets almost collide in full view of Manhattan skyline
In the latest terrifying airport near-miss, a jet in New York was forced to abruptly abort takeoff as another was still on LaGuardia Airport's runway. Passengers on board Republic Airways Flight 4736 on May 6 were thrown forward in their seats as the pilot slammed on the brakes at 12.35am. The sudden stop occurred because a United Airlines aircraft was still taxiing across the runway, according to the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board. One jolted passenger, Renee Hoffer, described the incident as 'as hard as any car accident I've been in,' after she wound up in the emergency room the next day. Hoffer told Associated Press that she visited the ER with neck pain and a numb left arm on May 6, the day after the plane came to an abrupt halt. As the incident occurred, the air traffic controller was heard telling the Republic Airways pilot, 'Sorry, I thought United had cleared well before that,' News 10 ABC reported. A ground controller on a separate radio frequency was, at the same time, guiding the United aircraft to a new taxiway after it had missed its intended exit. Passengers were disembarked from the plane, but Hoffer said gate agents refused to offer any accommodation or hotel vouchers. She said that the airline blamed weather circumstances for the incident, despite another passenger who had an app on her phone that showed another plane was on the runway. Hoffer told ABC that she had been battling with customer service since the incident and neither the airline nor the FAA had answered her complaints. It is unclear why passengers disembarked or if they were re-booked onto another flight. She continues to suffer from a pinched nerve in her neck that ER doctors identified. The FAA and NTSB said that an investigation into the incident is ongoing. Republic Airways did not immediately respond to request for comment. The close call comes not long after a Delta flight near Reagan National Airport had a near miss moments after takeoff. Carrying 137 people, the flight departed for Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota, when it received a sudden emergency notification of a nearby aircraft. Alarms went off inside the cockpit of the passenger flight just minutes after taking off, due to how close the T-38 jet came to the plane. The close call happened just south of the airport and close to the spot where an American Airlines jet collided with a army helicopter in January, killing 67 people. According to tracking data from FlightRadar 24, the Air Force jet flew past the Delta plane in excess of 350 miles per hour. The FAA said the military jet was in the area alongside three others for a flyover at Arlington National Cemetery. In air traffic control chatter heard via a Delta pilot can be heard saying: 'Was there an actual aircraft about 500 feet below us?'. An air traffic controller responds: 'Affirmative'. The latest incident follows a streak of aircraft crashes and close calls since the start of the year including the one at Reagan National Airport. At the time of the collision, a single air traffic controller was simultaneously monitoring both the helicopter and plane traffic. Those tasks are usually handled between two people from 10am until 9:30pm, according to an early FAA report seen by The New York Times. After 9:30pm the duties are typically combined and left to one person as the airport sees less traffic later in the night. A supervisor reportedly decided to combine those duties before the scheduled cutoff time however, and allowed one air traffic controller to leave work early. The FAA report said that staffing configuration 'was not normal for the time of day and volume of traffic'.
