LOS ANGELES — A flight arriving at Hollywood Burbank Airport this week was forced to abort its landing about 1,000 feet above the runway after an air traffic controller cleared another flight for takeoff at the same time, the Federal Aviation Administration said.
The aborted Mesa Airlines landing was the latest in a string of errors involving U.S. flights and airports that have led to near misses between planes and left passengers holding their breath. But the high-profile incidents don’t necessarily mean there is a trend toward more mistakes occurring, according to the FAA and aviation experts, who say it is still the safest time to fly in history.
“There are a lot of airports in the United States and a lot of daily takeoffs and landings — on the order of 5,000. So having one or two (issues) occur in a week’s time is not a large number in comparison to the total number,” said Robert Ditchey, an aviation expert and former Navy pilot.
