Two Planes Nearly Collide Near JFK
- Endeavor Air Flight 5289, flying for Delta into JFK on May 4, crossed paths with a Cirrus SR22 on parallel approach, triggering another safety scare. - The planes were separated by about 475 feet vertically near 5:15 p.m.; the regional jet crew got a traffic alert and then a resolution advisory. - It matters because JFK had another close call on April 21, when two passenger jets had to abort landings.
A close call near JFK this week was not two big jets fighting for the same runway. It was a regional Delta flight on final approach and a small Cirrus SR22 crossing overhead for the parallel runway. That distinction matters — but only up to a point. When aircraft get within roughly 500 feet near one of the busiest airports in the country, the bigger story is that the margin got uncomfortably thin again. (faa.gov) ### What actually happened? On Monday, May 4, Endeavor Air Flight 5289 — operating as a Delta Connection flight into JFK — was lined up for Runway 22L. At about 5:15 p.m., a Cirrus SR22 crossed over to land on Runway 22R. The FAA says controllers gave both pilots traffic advisories, both crews reported the other aircraft in sight, and the required separation was maintained. (faa.gov) ### How close did they get? Pretty close by normal-passenger standards, even if not technically a collision course. Flight-tracking data cited by ABC7 put the gap at about 475 feet vertically as the paths crossed, with the Endeavor jet around 2,100 feet and the Cirrus around 2,575 feet. The Delta crew told controllers the smaller plane had passed about 500 feet overhead. (abc7ny.com) ### Did the warning systems go off? Yes. The regional jet crew first got a traffic advisory — basically a heads-up that another aircraft was nearby. Then they got a resolution advisory from the onboard collision-avoidance system. But the interesting part is that the advisory did not tell them to break away h(abc7ny.com)as the safest immediate move. (abc7ny.com) ### Why were they that near each other? JFK often runs parallel approaches, which can be safe but leave less room for improvisation. Think of two zipper teeth moving side by side — it works if every tooth stays exactly where it belongs. In this case, the Cirrus crossed over toward Runway 22R while the Endeavor flight was already established for 22L, and that compressed the spacing enough to trigger cockpit alerts. (faa.gov) ### Was anyone hurt? No. Both aircraft continued safely, and the event ended as a scare rather than an accident. But near misses matter because they show where the system bent before it broke. Aviation safety people care a lot about these moments for exactly that reason. (faa.gov) ### Why (faa.gov)there in about two weeks. On April 21, two passenger jets near JFK had to abort landings after an American Airlines regional jet veered into the path of an Air Canada Jazz flight on approach. Controllers told both aircraft to climb, and one crew reported a TCAS resolution advisory. The FAA opened an investigation into that episode too. (abc7ny.com) ### So what’s the real takeaway? The FAA’s formal line on the May 4 event is reassuring — required separation was maintained. But the pattern is the part to watch. Two separate JFK approach scares in a short span, both serious enough to involve urgent controller calls or cockpit collision al(abc7ny.com) left. (faa.gov) ### Bottom line This was not a crash and not even, officially, a loss of required separation. But it was another moment where technology and quick situational awareness had to do visible work to keep routine traffic routine — and that is why people are paying attention. (faa.gov)
