Photo: Boston Globe
Two planes nearly collided at Logan Airport in Boston on Monday (February 27) night. According to CNN, a JetBlue flight was preparing to land when a private jet began taking off without permission.
The Federal Aviation Administration said that an air traffic controller told the pilot of a Learjet 60 to "line up and wait" on Runway 9 as the JetBlue Embraer 190 prepared to land on Runway 4 Right, which intersects Runway 9.
The pilot of the Learjet repeated the instructions back to the air traffic controller but then decided to head down the runway to take off.
The air traffic controller saw what was going on and told the pilot of the JetBlue flight to abort the landing.
"The Learjet pilot read back the instructions clearly but began a takeoff roll instead," the FAA said in a statement. "The pilot of the JetBlue aircraft took evasive action and initiated a climb-out as the Learjet crossed the intersection."
The two planes came within 565 feet of each other.
This is the fifth time two planes have nearly collided at U.S. airports this year. On February 22, two planes almost crashed at Hollywood Burbank Airport. On February 4, a FedEx cargo jet nearly collided with a Southwest Airlines plane while attempting to land at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport. A similar incident occurred at John F. Kennedy Airport in New York City on January 13 when a Delta Air Lines Boeing 736 almost crashed into an American Airlines Boeing 777, which crossed in front of it as it prepared to take off.