TAKEOFF TROUBLE

Jet Almost Lands on Delta Plane in Scary Runway Close Call

The Delta flight was carrying 144 customers and six crew members at the time.

A Delta Air Lines Boeing 737 jet came scarily close to disaster during takeoff when another plane touched down on the same runway. As Delta Flight 590 began to pick up speed for departure from Aeropuerto Internacional Benito Juárez in Mexico City on Monday, a regional AeroMéxico jet roared over the top and landed in front of the Delta aircraft. According to CNN, tracking software FlightRadar 24 showed the Embraer 190 flight 1631 skimming above 590—which was bound for Atlanta—by less than 200 feet. Delta said that it has reported the incident—which saw the 737 carrying 144 customers and six crew abort the takeoff and return to the terminal—to aviation authorities in Mexico. “Delta will fully cooperate with authorities as the circumstances around this flight are investigated,” the airline said. “We appreciate the flight crew’s actions to maintain situational awareness and act quickly—part of Delta’s extensive training.” Delta said it had also reported the close call to the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation Safety Board.