FedEx plane narrowly misses crashing into Southwest Airlines jet at Austin airport: Cargo airline Boeing 767 landed on the same runway as the departing 737 – tracking data shows they were within 75 feet
- The FAA is investigating the aborted landing in Austin, Texas after a FedEx cargo plane almost touched down on a runway where a Southwest plane was about to take off
- FedEx’s Boeing 767 had been cleared to land, while a Southwest Airlines Boeing 737 had also been cleared to depart from the same runway
- The two planes nearly collided and the FedEx plane had to be pulled up to within 75 feet of each other as it flew directly over the Southwest jet
A FedEx cargo plane attempting to land at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport on Saturday morning was suddenly forced to pull up and abort its landing after a Southwest Airlines plane was also cleared to depart from the same runway.
The two aircraft appeared to be 75 vertical feet apart.
The Boeing 767 cargo plane was several miles from the airport when it was cleared to land, according to the FAA, but just before it was scheduled to land, an air traffic controller also gave the green light for the Southwest Boeing 737 to take off on the exact same tarmac route.
“Just before the FedEx plane was scheduled to land, the air traffic controller cleared Southwest Flight 708 to depart from the same runway,” the Federal Aviation Administration said in a statement.
“The pilot of the FedEx plane aborted the landing and initiated a climb.”
The FAA is investigating the aborted landing in Austin, Texas after a FedEx cargo plane almost touched down on a runway where a Southwest plane was scheduled to take off
The FedEx Boeing 767 in orange had been cleared to land, while a Southwest Airlines Boeing 737 in yellow had also been cleared to depart on the same runway
At one point, only 75 feet appeared to separate the two planes, according to FlightRadar24
In a tweet on Saturday, the National Transportation Safety Board used jargon to downplay the incident, describing it as a “possible runway incursion and overflying by Southwest Airlines and FedEx aircraft.”
The incident happened in Austin early Saturday morning during poor visibility.
The FAA said FedEx Express Flight 1432, a Boeing 767 cargo plane that departed from Memphis, was cleared to land on Runway 18-Links at about 6:40 a.m. while the plane was several miles from the airport.
The Southwest plane had not yet taken off when the FedEx plane approached the runway.
The FedEx plane’s altitude shows it descending before a sudden and sharp gain in altitude
The FedEx plane suddenly had to pull up and managed to climb several hundred feet in a matter of seconds as the crew averted the disaster
The Southwest flight to Cancun, Mexico, continued its takeoff even as the FedEx cargo plane was directly overhead.
The Southwest jet was able to safely depart, according to the FAA.
Southwest has so far declined to comment. FedEx said its flight “landed safely after encountering an incident,” but declined to comment further because of the ongoing investigation.
The FAA and NTSB said they are investigating the serious incident.
“FedEx Express Flight 1432 from Memphis, Tennessee to Austin, Texas has landed safely after encountering an event just prior to landing at Austin Bergstrom International Airport this morning,” FedEx said in a statement.
Data from flight-tracking websites suggests that the two planes did, in fact, come very close. Pictured is the FedEx cargo plane’s route where it had to abort landing and then circle the airport
Austin Airport said it was aware of the Federal Aviation Administration’s investigation into a flight’s aborted landing. We will assist our FAA partners and their investigations as needed.’
A similar narrow opportunity was averted at John F. Kennedy International Airport last month after an American Airlines plane crossed a runway while a Delta Airlines Boeing 737 prepared for takeoff on Jan. 13.
Air traffic controllers noticed that a Boeing 777 had crossed from an adjacent taxiway.
The FAA said the Delta Boeing 737 halted its takeoff run about 1,000 feet before reaching the point where American Airlines Flight 106 had crossed.
The Southwest Airlines plane was already on the runway and about to take off when the FedEx landed
The FedEx cargo plane was just landing at Austin Bergstrom Airport when it was forced to stop