WASHINGTON DC – For the second time in six weeks, a Boston-bound flight had to slam on the brakes to avoid a possible collision with another plane at Reagan National Airport. The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating the incident.
Around 10:30 a.m. Wednesday, American Airlines Flight 2134 was cleared to take off with more than 100 passengers and crew on board.
A private plane was cleared to land on an intersecting runway. That plane, a King Air, was told to abort the landing, but was already on the ground.
The American Airlines flight was traveling at 80 knots, or just over 90 mph, when it was forced to stop, prompting the pilot to tell air traffic control that an inspection would be necessary. The flight ultimately took off four hours behind schedule and landed safely at Boston’s Logan Airport.
American Airlines officials said in a statement: “The safety of our customers and team members is our top priority, and we are grateful to our crew for their professionalism. We will support the FAA in its investigation.”
April close call at Reagan National
The FAA is already investigating one close call at Reagan National in April involving a Southwest Airlines jet and a JetBlue Boston flight.
In that incident, an air traffic controller ordered the Southwest flight to cross a runway while the JetBlue flight began its takeoff over the same runway. The planes landed approximately 300 meters apart. No injuries have been reported.
