DALLAS — American Airlines pilots who declined recorded interviews with federal aviation safety investigators after a close-call on a runway in New York have backed down and will talk.
The National Transportation Safety Board said last week that it would subpoena the pilots of an American Airlines Boeing 777 that crossed a runway at New York’s JFK International Airport without air traffic control clearance as a Delta Air Lines Boeing 737 jet was taking off on Jan. 13.
The Delta jet aborted the takeoff and there was no collision, but it prompted a federal investigation and after written statements, the NTSB wanted to talk more with the American Airlines crew. But the Allied Pilots Association representing American pilots initially rejected the request, saying that tape-recorded interviews were unusual, while federal investigators said it was necessary for accuracy. The NTSB said it would subpoena pilots to get the interviews.
But this week, the Allied Pilots Association said the interviews will go ahead.
“The pilots intend to appear for their interviews in accordance with the subpoenas,” said Allied Pilots Association spokesman Dennis Tajer. “All parties to the investigation (other than the NTSB) are prohibited from speaking about the investigation while it is pending under NTSB rules.”
The NTSB also doesn’t have access to the cockpit voice recorders from the incident because the data is overwritten after two hours, although the agency has pushed to have the information stored for longer.
During the Jan. 13 incident, the two planes came within about 1,400 feet of one another. The Delta pilots spotted the American Airlines plane about 2,700 feet from the taxiway intersection and braked. The American Airlines plane proceeded to take off for London while the Delta Air Lines flight stopped and took off minutes later.
The Allied Pilots Association argued that recorded interviews may actually undermine the investigation process.
“Not only may the recording of interviews lead to less candid responses from those witnesses who may choose to proceed under such requirements, but the existence and potential availability of interview recordings upon conclusion of an investigation will tend to lead many otherwise willing crew members to elect not to participate in interviews at all,” the union said in a statement last week. “Either outcome would not serve to advance the goal of conducting effective investigations in order to promote aviation safety.”
It’s one of a handful of aviation close-calls in recent weeks that have prompted inquiries into the FAA and airline safety. Earlier this month, Southwest and FedEx jets nearly collided on a runway in Austin, coming within about 100 feet of one another as the FedEx plane was trying to land and the Southwest jet was taking off. There were no injuries in either instance.
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