NEW YORK- An imminent collision between an American Airlines (AA) flight and another aircraft was narrowly avoided as both planes initiated their descent simultaneously.
The incident involved American Airlines flight AAL28 and Tradewind Aviation flight GPD235, both instructed to land at New York’s John F. Kennedy Airport (JFK) on November 10, as revealed by the YouTube channel You Can See ATC,
Airspace Close Call
The American Airlines Airbus A321, completing its journey from Los Angeles International Airport, received clearance to approach runway 22 left. At the same time, the Tradewind Aviation Pilatus PC-12 was authorized to approach runway 22 right, as per the channel’s report.
However, the channel noted that, ‘for some reason,’ the Tradewind flight ‘joined the 22 left localizer.’ The American flight observed the other plane following a similar trajectory, but the air traffic controller reassured the American pilot that the plane ‘is landing on the parallel.’
In contrast, the American Airlines pilot contradicted this assurance, stating, ‘he is right above us,’ and later reporting communication issues, saying, ‘We’re breaking up, he’s right above us.’ A reconstruction map depicted the Tradewind flight deviating from the path after being instructed to abort its approach, veering southeast, while the American Airlines flight continued its descent into JFK.
Upon landing, the American Airlines pilot sought a ‘phone number for someone in the tower’ regarding the airport approach, expressing the need to discuss the clearance given to the Pilatus. The pilot voiced concerns, stating, ‘It got way too tight. If we hadn’t bailed out, we would have collided.’
The exact proximity of the American and Tradewind flights remains unknown at this time. However, aviation protocols mandate that pilots maintain a considerable distance between aircraft in flight to ensure safety.
Near Accidents Involving Passenger Planes in 2023
New York Times Investigation Reveals High Frequency of Near Accidents Involving Passenger Planes, Prompting Concerns for Aviation Safety in 2023
A recent investigation by The New York Times uncovered that passenger planes, including the American flight, have experienced near accidents ‘far more frequently than the public knows.’ The report highlighted multiple near misses in 2023, prompting an air traffic controller to express the belief that ‘it is only a matter of time before something catastrophic happens.’
On July 2, a Southwest Airlines pilot aborted a landing at Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport, narrowly avoiding a potentially catastrophic collision with a Delta Air Lines 737 that was preparing to take off on the same runway.
Nine days later in San Francisco, an American Airlines jet, traveling at over 160 miles per hour, narrowly avoided a collision with a Frontier Airlines plane. Subsequently, another close call involving a Frontier aircraft occurred with a German airliner taking off.
In both instances, the proximity to the Frontier aircraft was so close that internal records reviewed by The New York Times described the encounters as ‘skin to skin,’ according to the Federal Aviation Administration.
A little over two weeks later, during an American Airlines flight to Dallas, a collision warning sounded in the cockpit, prompting the pilot to ascend by 700 feet to avert disaster after an air traffic controller mistakenly directed a United Airlines plane to fly dangerously close.
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