The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is investigating an incident in which two planes nearly collided Friday on a runway at John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) in New York City.
A Delta Air Lines Boeing 737 passenger plane taking off for the Dominican Republic had reached a speed of 115 miles per hour as a Boeing 777 American Airlines plane crossed the runway in front of the Delta plane. An air traffic controller had one of the pilots stop the Delta plane in order to prevent a crash, according to ABC News.
NTSB is investigating the Jan. 13 runway incursion at JFK airport involving an American Airlines Boeing 777 and a Delta Boeing 737.
— NTSB Newsroom (@NTSB_Newsroom) January 15, 2023
“Delta 1943, cancel takeoff clearance! Delta 1943, cancel takeoff clearance!” an air traffic controller said, according to a live recording by LiveATC, a flight communications website, ABC news reported.
The Delta pilot initiated emergency protocol and stopped the plane 1,000 feet before the American Airlines plane, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) told the Daily Caller. (RELATED: Reports Of Unruly Passengers On Airline Flights Plummeted After Biden’s Mask Mandate Was Struck Down)
“A Boeing 737 operated by Delta Air Lines came to a safe stop on Runway 4-Left at John F. Kennedy International Airport Friday night after air traffic controllers noticed another aircraft crossing the runway in front of the departing jetliner,” the FAA said in a statement to the Daily Caller.
“According to a preliminary analysis, Delta Air Lines Flight 1943 stopped its takeoff roll approximately 1,000 feet before reaching the point where American Airlines Flight 106, a Boeing 777, had crossed from an adjacent taxiway,” the FAA added.
The FAA is also investigating the incident, which took place Friday night around 8:45 p.m. local time, the agency said. Nobody was injured in the incident and the Delta flight ultimately departed Saturday morning following crew issues, a Delta spokesperson told the Daily Caller. The American Airlines plane took off for London shortly after the near crash.
“The safety of our customers and crew is always Delta’s number one priority. Delta will work with and assist aviation authorities on a full review of flight 1943 on Jan. 13 regarding a successful aborted takeoff procedure at New York-JFK. We apologize to our customers for the inconvenience and delay of their travels,” a Delta spokesperson said in a statement.
The NTSB investigation will provide preliminary results in 2-3 weeks and a probable cause in its final report, likely to be completed in 12-24 months, the agency told the Daily Caller.
“I can confirm we’ve launched an investigation and there likely won’t be an update until the preliminary report is issued in 2-3 weeks. That report will contain facts investigators have gathered up to that point. A probable cause and any contributing factors will come in the final report, and typically takes 12-24 months to be completed,” an NTSB spokesperson told the Daily Caller.
An American Airlines spokesperson referred the Daily Caller to the FAA statement.