The Federal Aviation Administration is currently investigating a concerning incident that occurred at Reagan National Airport involving a JetBlue flight and a Southwest Airlines flight being put on an apparent collision course.
According to air traffic control audio recordings, controllers urgently instructed the JetBlue flight to halt its takeoff as the Southwest Airlines flight began taxiing across the same runway. The two planes came to a stop approximately 400 feet apart, with the forward fuselage of the Southwest flight having entered the runway.
The incident unfolded when a controller at Reagan National cleared the JetBlue Airways flight for takeoff around 7:40 a.m., while simultaneously another controller directed the Southwest Airlines jet to cross the same runway.
Approximately 30 seconds after the JetBlue plane was cleared for takeoff, controllers frantically called for both planes to stop, preventing a potential disaster.
The FAA has confirmed that an air traffic controller mistakenly instructed the Southwest Airlines Flight to cross Runway 4 while the JetBlue Flight was initiating its takeoff roll on the same runway.
Following the incident, the JetBlue flight taxied back to the runway threshold and successfully departed for Boston Logan. The Southwest Airlines flight was directed to continue across the runway and proceeded to take off as planned, heading to Orlando.
JetBlue reported that its Boston-bound flight had to abort takeoff due to the presence of another aircraft attempting to cross the runway. The plane was inspected and departed safely after the incident.
Southwest Airlines stated that they are aware of the incident and are cooperating with the FAA to fully comprehend the circumstances surrounding the near collision.
