In a recent incident at a Colorado airport, a JetBlue captain narrowly escaped a head-on collision on the runway, causing significant damage to the aircraft when its tail hit the runway during the evasive maneuver, according to federal investigators.
This event is part of a growing trend of near-miss collisions at airports nationwide, attributed to a shortage of air traffic controllers, as reported by the Daily Mail.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) revealed on Wednesday that a JetBlue Airbus A320 was preparing for takeoff on the same runway where a Beechcraft King Air 350 was about to land, approximately five miles away. The incident occurred at Yampa Valley Regional Airport on January 22, 2022.
To prevent a potential disaster, the captain and co-pilot accelerated the takeoff and raised the nose of the jet more rapidly than usual, a reaction to the unexpected encounter with the incoming aircraft. The JetBlue captain admitted that he did not see the approaching aircraft, but the plane's collision-avoidance software alerted him to the imminent danger.
The King Air crew reportedly told the JetBlue pilots, "I hope you don't hit us," after the latter announced their taxiing on the runway. According to NTSB data, the two aircraft were approximately 2.6 miles apart when the JetBlue Airbus A320 began its ascent and veered right away from the airport.
The United States is witnessing an increase in near-miss aircraft collisions, coinciding with a significant shortage of air traffic controllers. The Daily Mail reports that controllers are working under extreme pressure, with 10-hour shifts six days a week on irregular schedules.
According to the staffing levels agreed upon by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the controllers' union, 99 percent of air traffic control sites in the United States are currently understaffed. The FAA reported 46 "close calls" between commercial airlines in July alone.
On July 11, two departing aircraft in San Francisco narrowly avoided a collision with a Frontier Airlines plane that had just landed. In August, a Southwest Airlines Boeing 737 and a Cessna Citation 560X business jet in San Diego passed within 100 feet of each other. The FAA revealed that a controller had allowed the Cessna to land on a runway where he had previously directed a Southwest flight to taxi.
In February, a private aircraft that had taken off without authorization nearly collided with a JetBlue plane landing at Logan International Airport in Boston. The crew of the private jet was informed that they had taken off without authorization and that a plane cleared to land had to abort its landing, passing approximately 400 feet above them.
Last month, an independent review board issued a series of recommendations aimed at improving safety within the national airspace. The FAA announced that it would immediately implement several of these recommendations, including measures to increase the capacity for hiring and training controllers, as reported by the Daily Mail.
In response to the Times report on the increase in near-misses, the FAA issued a statement asserting that the report "does not reflect the high level of safety of our nation's airspace." The agency added, "Flying has never been safer, due in large part to our air traffic controllers. We encourage them to report safety concerns and incidents without fear of reprisal."
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