The United States Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has stated that a Southwest Airlines plane aborted its landing at Chicago Midway International Airport on Tuesday morning to avoid a collision with a private jet that mistakenly entered the runway without clearance.
Southwest Flight 2504, which was arriving from Omaha, Nebraska, initiated a go-around maneuver while descending towards the airport in order to avoid a potential incident.
The plane landed safely, according to Southwest. The FAA is conducting an investigation into the incident, which occurred at approximately 8:50 a.m. local time.
A Bombardier Challenger 350, operated by Flexjet, was en route to Knoxville, Tennessee, when its pilot misinterpreted air traffic control instructions.
Controllers had instructed the pilot to cross one runway and stop short of another, but the pilot responded ambiguously. According to LiveATC.net audio, the controller promptly corrected him, saying, “Flexjet 560, negative! Cross 31L, hold short Runway 31C.”
As the Southwest plane approached, its pilot decided to initiate a go-around maneuver. Air traffic controllers replied, “-west 2504, uh, roger that. Climb, maintain 3,000.” Once the plane had reached the assigned altitude, the Southwest pilot inquired, “Southwest 2504, uh, how did that occur?”
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Flexjet stated that it was "aware of the occurrence" and was "working to gather more information about the situation." The private jet, which has a capacity for up to nine passengers, did not depart from Midway, as per configurations listed on Flexjet's website.
FlightRadar24 reported that the two aircraft came within approximately 2,050 feet of each other before the Southwest plane initiated a go-around maneuver. The Southwest jet flew directly over the private aircraft at a reported altitude of 900 feet, which is about 250 feet above ground level when adjusted for atmospheric pressure and elevation.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) stated that it is "aware" of the incident and is "collecting information about it."
The incident is part of a series of recent aviation safety incidents being investigated by the NTSB and FAA, which include a fatal mid-air collision over the Potomac River, a medical evacuation jet crash in Philadelphia, and a fatal regional airline accident off the coast of Nome, Alaska.
Between January 2023 and September 2024, the National Transportation Safety Board investigated 13 incidents of unauthorized entry onto a runway involving commercial or hired flights.
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