CLOSE CALL

Two Planes Dodge Collision in Runway Near-Miss

The incident at Sydney Airport is under investigation.

An investigation has been launched after two planes nearly collided at Australia’s largest airport. The Australian Transport Safety Bureau said it is looking into an incident that occurred on July 27 after air traffic control gave clearance for a Boeing 737 Qantas flight from Canberra to cross between runways at Sydney Airport. However, at the same time another Qantas plane, a Bombardier DHC-8 coming in from Queenstown, New Zealand, was preparing to land. The ATSB said the air traffic crew stopped the Boeing 737 before it entered the runway, allowing the second Qantas aircraft to carry out its landing roll. There were no injuries, and both were able to continue normal ground operations without any further incident. Video taken at the scene shows the moment the two planes came within a matter of feet of each other while both on the runway. ATSB attributed the close call to a “breakdown of co-ordination.” Qantas said it will be assisting the ATSB as part of the investigation, while insisting that both flight crews were following air traffic control instructions at the time.