The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) have launched an investigation into a harrowing incident that occurred at the San Diego International Airport on Friday.
A Cessna Citation business jet came dangerously close to colliding with a Southwest Airlines Boeing 737 that was in the process of taking off.
The incident took place just before noon when the air traffic controller cleared the Cessna Citation to land on the same runway that the Southwest Airlines Boeing 737 was preparing to depart from.
The FAA released a statement explaining the sequence of events, stating, "The controller had previously cleared the Citation to land on Runway 27 and then instructed Southwest Flight 2493 to taxi onto that runway and wait for instructions to depart."
Fortunately, an automated ground surveillance system detected the imminent collision and promptly alerted the air traffic controller. Acting swiftly, the controller directed the Cessna Citation to abort the landing procedure, thereby averting a catastrophic event. The Cessna flew perilously close, approximately 100 feet above the Southwest Airlines Boeing 737 on the runway.
Thankfully, both aircraft landed safely without any reported injuries. The Cessna safely touched down at San Diego International Airport, while Southwest Airlines Flight 2493 proceeded with its scheduled takeoff and later landed without incident in San Jose, California.
In response to the near collision, the FAA and NTSB have initiated a joint investigation. Southwest Airlines is fully cooperating with the authorities in their efforts. The FAA is dispatching a team of experts to the San Diego International Airport to conduct a thorough investigation into the incident.
This alarming incident marks the sixth near-collision event on airport runways since the beginning of the year. In February, a similar incident occurred at the Austin-Bergstrom International Airport, where a FedEx cargo plane narrowly avoided landing on a Southwest Airlines Boeing 737 that was in the process of taking off. Then, in June, an Allegiant Air plane had a close call with a small aircraft at the same airport.
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