pattern_is_full
24th Jul 2008, 05:13
Associated Press
WASHINGTON — The National Transportation Safety Board said
Wednesday it is investigating a near collision of airborne planes
at Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport — the third such incident
at a major airport this month.
The board said in a statement that the latest incident occurred
at 1:47 p.m. EDT Monday as American Eagle Flight 4298 was taking
off on one runway and a private Learjet was arriving on another,
perpendicular runway.
When air traffic controllers realized the planes’ flight paths
intersected and the jets were about to collide, they ordered the
Learjet to abort its landing and fly around the airport again. The
American Eagle ERJ-145, a regional jet, was instructed to stay low
on departure.
The board said the Learjet passed “325 feet above and slightly
behind” the departing the American Eagle jet.
At the high rate of speed the two planes would have to have been
traveling and the narrowness of the distance they came from each
other, “There is no margin of error or safety there,” said Ken
Mead, a former Transportation Department inspector general. “It’s
almost random chance they don’t hit each other when they get that
distance.”
[Of course it would also be "almost random chance" if they HAD hit each other]
A bit more from CBS Chicago:
American Eagle Flight No. 4298, an ERJ-145, was departing on Runway 32L when the near-collision occurred at 12:47 p.m.
The Learjet, a 2001 Model 60, was landing on Runway 9R, which intersects Runway 32L. The Learjet is owned by Electrolux Home Products Inc. of Augusta, Ga.,
And...
Same RWY intersection had an incident 2 years ago: UA 1015 was departing for Denver when it flew over a Atlas AIr Boeing 747 cargo plane that had just landed. (in that case departure was 27L, landing was 14R - same concrete , different direction.)
WASHINGTON — The National Transportation Safety Board said
Wednesday it is investigating a near collision of airborne planes
at Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport — the third such incident
at a major airport this month.
The board said in a statement that the latest incident occurred
at 1:47 p.m. EDT Monday as American Eagle Flight 4298 was taking
off on one runway and a private Learjet was arriving on another,
perpendicular runway.
When air traffic controllers realized the planes’ flight paths
intersected and the jets were about to collide, they ordered the
Learjet to abort its landing and fly around the airport again. The
American Eagle ERJ-145, a regional jet, was instructed to stay low
on departure.
The board said the Learjet passed “325 feet above and slightly
behind” the departing the American Eagle jet.
At the high rate of speed the two planes would have to have been
traveling and the narrowness of the distance they came from each
other, “There is no margin of error or safety there,” said Ken
Mead, a former Transportation Department inspector general. “It’s
almost random chance they don’t hit each other when they get that
distance.”
[Of course it would also be "almost random chance" if they HAD hit each other]
A bit more from CBS Chicago:
American Eagle Flight No. 4298, an ERJ-145, was departing on Runway 32L when the near-collision occurred at 12:47 p.m.
The Learjet, a 2001 Model 60, was landing on Runway 9R, which intersects Runway 32L. The Learjet is owned by Electrolux Home Products Inc. of Augusta, Ga.,
And...
Same RWY intersection had an incident 2 years ago: UA 1015 was departing for Denver when it flew over a Atlas AIr Boeing 747 cargo plane that had just landed. (in that case departure was 27L, landing was 14R - same concrete , different direction.)