A close call between two planes at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in Arlington, Virginia on Wednesday morning remains under investigation by the Federal Aviation Administration.
The standoff came last month as air traffic controllers scrambled to stop another potential crash, and it prompted U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine to criticize a federal bill to bring more planes to Reagan National.
In the latest scare, an American Airlines flight to Boston reached 100 mph when air traffic controllers ordered the pilot to stop. NBC Boston reported.
An air traffic controller canceled the departure of American Airlines Flight 2134 because another plane was cleared to land on the intersecting runway around 10:30 a.m., the FAA said.
In the recordings, air traffic controllers can be heard instructing the plane to make an emergency takeoff and turn off the main runway to avoid crossing lanes as the small plane lands on another runway.
“American 2134, cleared for departure!” An air traffic controller said. “Zero Alpha Alpha, move around! Go around!”
“Rejecting takeoff, 2134,” replied a pilot.
“Zero Alpha Alpha, we can’t get around. We were already on the ground.
“American 2134, would you like to go back to the gate?”
“Yeah, we should talk about maintenance, but yeah, I think we were over 80 knots, so we should get an inspection.”
In simple terms, an air traffic controller told an American Airlines flight to stop takeoff. Another small plane was told to go around – basically, fly around the airport and try to land again – but they couldn’t do it.
American Airlines Flight 2134 eventually took off at 2:21 p.m. and landed in Boston at 3:52 p.m. — about four hours late, according to FlightAware records.
No injuries were reported.
“The safety of our customers and crew members is our top priority, and we are grateful for the professionalism of our crew. We will cooperate with the FAA investigation,” an American Airlines spokesperson told NBC Boston.
The FAA also announced it is investigating a close call last month in which two planes, one from Southwest and one from JetBlue, came within 1,000 feet of each other on the runway at Reagan National Airport, News4 reported.
In the April incident, air traffic controllers shouted “Stop! Stop!” In the audio posted on YouTube.
No one was injured and airport operations were not affected to any great extent.
United States Senate representing Virginia. Tim Cain said this week’s close call underscores how the airport is at capacity.
“This shows why the Senate move to lock up even more flights at DCA is so dangerous,” Kaine said on X, formerly known as Twitter. “FAA Must Resist New Airplanes That Compromise Safety.”
More flights could come to Reagan National Airport, and the airport and some local lawmakers are angry about it, saying the airport is already too crowded. News4 transport reporter Adam Tuss explains.
Earlier this month, the Senate approved an FAA authorization bill that would add five daily flights from Reagan National.
In a statement, the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority (MWAA), which runs Reagan National, condemned the move.
“We are disappointed by the decision to force more flights into Reagan National Airport’s already congested schedule on America’s busiest runway, which will increase delays, cancellations and stress on airport infrastructure,” MWAA’s statement said.
