3 US Airways Commuter Jets Avoid Last-Second Collision Near Washington, D.C.

The FAA needs to start reducing flights into airports if this is happening. Nothing can replace the safety of people.

We aborted our landing at the last second because there was a plane taxiing across our runway. If our pilot hadn't been so alert we would all have been killed.

You and your fellow passengers were lucky to have him. The only flight that I've ever been on that's scared the hell out of me was from Detroit to Seattle in early September August 01' and that was because of turbulence. It also scared me after the fact, because that was 5 days before 9/11.

We finally got to NYC from Tucson a few days later - and saw the smoking hole and were stunned. This was two days after the FAA removed the grounding order.

Two planes taking off from National put on collision course with plane trying to land

By Ashley Halsey III, Published: August 1
The Washington Post

Three commuter jets came within seconds of a midair collision at Reagan National Airport on Tuesday after confused air traffic controllers launched two outbound flights directly at another plane coming in to land, according to federal officials with direct knowledge of the incident.

The three planes, all operated by US Airways, carried 192 passengers and crew members, the airline said. All of the flights reached their destinations without mishap, but the near-collision was another among several thousand recorded errors by air traffic controllers nationwide in recent years.
....

Hours after being alerted to the incident by The Washington Post, the FAA’s public affairs office issued a statement Wednesday night saying that it is investigating the matter and will take appropriate action to address the miscommunication.

It sounds as if Ashley Halsey III or someone in the newsroom at the Post had his police scanner on, tuned to the aviation band, and caught the action.

How about a little more funding for air traffic control and ground safety at airports?

Woot! Notice the lack of Reagan in the airport name! :greenbouncythingojoy:

Go ABC! That airport will always be National to me. Calling BWI Thurgood Marshall I can get behind though.

It was a travesty when Congressional Republicans and spineless Democrats attached that fool's name to it.

BTW, you give ABC too much credit.

If they HADN'T missed, they would have COLLIDED! It's a near-COLLISION!


rocktvity

NTSB INVESTIGATING AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL SERVICE INTERRUPTION AT WASHINGTON'S NATIONAL AIRPORT
March 24, 2011
http://www.ntsb.gov/news/2011/110324.html

REPUBLIC AIRLINES INC
Accident occurred Sunday, February 17, 2008
http://www.ntsb.gov/aviationquery/brief.aspx?ev_id=20081124X34243&key=1



http://www.ntsb.gov/aviationquery/index.aspx

127 various records all for National

This may be an opportunity for me find out the details of what really happened on that flight I took back in the 70's.

For any busy airport you'll find hundreds mishaps.

That one poor pilot kept repeating, over and over, he was low on fuel. But the tower seemed to ignore him.

back in the 70's, when I was very young and in college.

I was flying from Raleigh/Durham to Philadelphia on Eastern Airlines. We were making the usual stop in DC.

As we were approaching the airport for a supposedly routine landing, the sound of the engine suddenly became very loud and the plane started flying up at a very steep angle. From what seemed like the longest time, we heard no explanation from the cockpit..... just silence. Finally, the voice of the pilot said, "Better safe than sorry".

Later, as we taxied along the runway, you could hear people talking about how we almost hit another plane. I turned to the man next to me, who happened to be a priest and said, "I 'm really glad I'm sitting next to you." I still remember the nice smile he gave me.

As we left the plane, everybody thanked the pilot profusely. The flight attendants looked very serious.

I don't think this ever made the news, but it was a different kind of communication system then. No twitter, etc.

PB

Notice how the media points out there was "only" 800' vertically between the two planes.

This happens routinely. Even in Instrument Meteorological Conditions (IMC) (planes can't see each other), the separation standard in the terminal environment is only 1,000' vertically in the terminal environment. Because of inherent instrument errors, planes routinely pass each other with only 800' of separation, even in bad weather, all over the country.

The FAA defines a near midair collision as less than 500'.