Two Planes Take Evasive Action Near JFK
- Two aircraft took evasive action to avoid a mid-air collision while approaching or departing JFK Airport. - They were reportedly about a half-mile apart and within 350 feet of the same altitude during the incident. - Air traffic procedures and safety reviews may be prompted by the close call, according to authorities (patch.com).
Two passenger jets on parallel approaches at John F. Kennedy International Airport took evasive action Monday after one drifted into the other’s flight path. (abc7.com) The Federal Aviation Administration said the incident happened around 2:35 p.m. on April 20, when Republic Airways Flight 4464, operating for American Airlines, was approaching Runway 31 Left and Jazz Aviation Flight 554, operating for Air Canada, was approaching Runway 31 Right. (usnews.com) Air traffic control audio captured a controller warning the Republic crew, “You are flying through the approach course of runway 31 left. Correct immediately,” before another controller told Jazz 554 to climb to 3,000 feet. Republic said its pilots received an onboard warning and performed a go-around. (abc7.com) Flight-tracking data reviewed by Flightradar24 showed the aircraft came within about a half-mile horizontally and 350 feet vertically at their closest point. Both flights later landed safely without injuries, according to the Federal Aviation Administration and airline statements. (abc7ny.com) Parallel runway operations let airports land or launch more aircraft at the same time, but the system depends on each crew staying precisely on its assigned path. At JFK, Runways 31 Left and 31 Right are closely spaced enough that a drift across an approach course can trigger cockpit collision alerts within seconds. (abc7.com) Those cockpit alerts come from the Traffic Collision Avoidance System, or TCAS, which acts like a last-resort airborne warning network and can tell one crew to climb while telling another to descend. Republic said its crew followed that resolution advisory “consistent with our training and procedures.” (timesnownews.com) The Federal Aviation Administration said it is investigating the JFK incident, part of a broader federal push to examine near-misses after a string of serious close calls. The agency says its 2023 Safety Call to Action was launched to review air traffic procedures, technology, and safety reporting across the system. (faa.gov) The National Transportation Safety Board separately says it investigates civil aviation accidents and selected significant incidents, and its public database shows the agency has issued preliminary reports on earlier JFK close calls. That means investigators now have an established record of scrutinizing separation problems at the airport. (ntsb.gov, ntsb.gov) The JFK event came two days after two Southwest Airlines jets took evasive action near Nashville, where the Associated Press reported an air traffic controller directed one plane into the path of another. The latest close call adds another case to the Federal Aviation Administration’s review of how crews and controllers recover when separation starts to break down. (apnews.com)
