An American Airlines flight had a terrifying close call when another aircraft entered the runway where it was taking off.
Flight 308 en route to Bermuda was forced to abandon takeoff at Miami airport after a business jet strayed into the same taxi area on Friday, June 26.
The commercial aircraft had been given the go-ahead to depart by air traffic control and was going down the runway at 60 miles per hour before it had to slam on the brakes, reported CNN.
At one point, the American Airlines plane and the private jet were as close as one-third of a mile away from each other. American Airlines confirmed in a statement that the flight’s crew “discontinued takeoff” after it had spotted “another aircraft on the runway.”
Air traffic control audio obtained by ABC 7 News Bay Area captured the confusion after the American Airlines pilot was given the go-ahead to take off at Miami Airport.
“You just crossed an active runway,” the controller told the pilot of the business jet. “You just told me to cross the runway, sir,” the pilot said. “No, we said Amerijet 461,” the controller responded, referring to the private plane.
After aborting its original takeoff, the American Airlines plane—an Airbus A319 carrying 112 passengers and five crew members—eventually departed Miami and landed safely in Bermuda, about two hours behind schedule.
The Federal Aviation Administration said the private business jet was not authorized to be on the runway and that an investigation into the incident is underway, the New York Post reported.
NetJets Flight EJA434 was being operationally controlled by a third-party maintenance vendor at the time of the near miss, reported CNN.
“We appreciate the quick actions of our crew members and thank our customers for their understanding,” American Airlines added in a statement.
Elsewhere, there was another near miss on June 26 involving a United Airlines passenger jet coming in to land in New Jersey.
Air traffic control audio reviewed by CNN revealed a pilot stating that the plane was “almost hit a drone,” as it was approaching Newark Liberty International Airport, adding the object “about 100 feet below us.”
The Boeing 737, carrying 106 passengers and five crew members, was able to land safely.
