The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is investigating a near-collision between a Learjet and a JetBlue plane that took place on Monday night at Boston Logan International Airport.
FOX Business has reported that the pilot of the Learjet took off without first obtaining the proper clearance as the JetBlue flight was attempting to land on an intersecting runway. According to an FAA statement provided to the network, the JetBlue pilot was able to manuever the plane to avoid the crashing into the other jet.
“An air traffic controller instructed the pilot of the Learjet to line up and wait on Runway 9 while the JetBlue Embraer 190 landed on Runway 4-Right, which intersects Runway 9,” the FAA said in its statement. “The Learjet pilot read back the instructions clearly but began a takeoff roll instead.”
No one was harmed in what the FAA has officially termed a “close call.”
The incident happened around 7pm EST. The JetBlue flight, which took off from Nashville, ultimately landied at 7:13pm EST. As part of its investigation, the FAA will determine the exact distance between the two aircraft at its closest point.
In a statement to WCVB in Boston, a JetBlue spokesperson said that the airline will assist in the federal investigation into the incident.
“On Monday, February 27, JetBlue flight 206 landed safely in Boston after our pilots were instructed to perform a go-around by air traffic controllers,” the JetBlue spokesperson said in the statement. “Safety is JetBlue’s first priority and our crews are trained to react to situations like this.”
