A Southwest Airlines plane came within feet of a helicopter at the same altitude, forcing it to abandon its landing and go around again. The National Transportation Safety Board said it was launching an investigation following Flight 1333’s near miss on approach to Cleveland Hopkins International Airport on Wednesday, October 29. The Boeing 737 was within 0.56 lateral miles of the Airbus H145 medical helicopter, according to Flightradar24. Both aircraft were flying at 2,075 feet. Air traffic control recordings obtained by the flight tracking service reveal the controller instructing the helicopter to pass behind the plane. Its pilot replies, “Sir, it’d be better if we go above it and in front of it, if we can?” The incident comes amid a staffing crisis at air traffic control operations fueled by the ongoing government shutdown, which is preventing employees from being paid. The “pilots discontinued their initial approach to the runway due to the presence of another aircraft,” a Southwest Airlines spokesperson said, according to Business Insider. It comes after 67 people were killed in a plane-helicopter crash in Washington, D.C. in January.
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