US planes in near-collision
2007-12-9 07:34
Linthicum, Maryland - Two passenger jets passed within 91 metres of each other while one was landing and the other was taking off at Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport last week, a US aviation official said.
The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the incident, which occurred at the intersection of two runways on Sunday night.
The near-collision occurred the same week that congressional investigators released a report that found air travellers face a high risk of a catastrophic collision on US airport runways because of faltering federal leadership, malfunctioning technology and overworked air traffic controllers.
The Government Accountability Office said that in the fiscal year that ended September 30, there were 370 runway incursions - an aircraft, vehicle or person that enters a space reserved for takeoff or landing.
In Sunday's incident, a ComAir flight taking off from the airport flew over an America West plane that had just landed, Federal Aviation Administration spokesperson Jim Peters said.
The investigation is focusing on possible mistakes by air traffic controllers, and not pilot error, the spokesperson said.
There were 46 people aboard ComAir Flight 5412, and 155 people on the US Airways/America West Flight 83.
AP
Source:-http://www.24.com/news/?p=tsa&i=782855