An Alaska Airlines plane had to abruptly halt its takeoff in Nashville to avoid a potential collision with a Southwest Airlines aircraft, triggering an investigation by federal agencies.
The Federal Aviation Administration disclosed that the Alaska Airlines pilots decided to abort their takeoff as the Southwest plane had been authorized to cross the end of the same runway.
Alaska Airlines’ representative stated that the pilots identified a potential conflict on the runway and swiftly applied the brakes to avert any escalation of the situation.
Fortunately, no injuries were reported, although the extreme heat generated during the rapid stop caused the tires of the Boeing 737 Max to deflate, as per the Seattle-based airline.
The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board confirmed their initiation of inquiries into the occurrence, which unfolded around 9:15 a.m. at the Nashville International Airport.
Southwest Airlines mentioned being in communication with the FAA and the NTSB and pledged full cooperation with the investigation.
Alaska Airlines unveiled that the flight bound for Seattle was carrying 176 passengers and six crew members. The aircraft is undergoing inspection, and arrangements have been made to transfer passengers to Seattle via another plane by Thursday night.
In recent years, a string of near misses on runways, also known as “runway incursions,” has raised concerns about the safety of air travel in the United States. NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy highlighted last November that these incidents, while infrequent compared to the volume of flights, signify strain on the aviation system.
Several of these incidents were attributed to pilots not adhering to air traffic controllers’ instructions. The most concerning incident, where a FedEx jet flew over a departing Southwest jet in foggy conditions in Austin, was attributed to errors by an air traffic controller.
