Tragedy Averted: Pilot Of JetBlue Flight 1295 Aborts Take Off After Seeing Another Plane On Runway
A JetBlue flight ready to take off from New York to Austin, Texas had to abort the take off at the last minute after another plane crossed the runway. According to ABC News, this shocking incident happened on Saturday evening at the John F Kennedy International Airport in New York.
A JetBlue spokesperson, Rick Clark, has confirmed that the incident happened to JetBlue Flight 1295 that was scheduled to fly from New York to Austin, Texas. Mr. Clark added that the JetBlue aircraft had gathered full take-off speed when the other aircraft, a Caribbean Airways flight, later identified as Flight 526 crossed the runway without warning. The pilot of JetBlue Flight 1295 had very little time to take evasive action and slam the brakes. He added that there were no injuries reported from the aircraft after the pilot slammed the emergency brakes. It is unclear as to how close the two aircraft were.
After the incident, the JetBlue aircraft taxied back to the gates and took off three hours later — inconveniencing passengers even further.
Meanwhile, other JetBlue officials claim that the Caribbean Airways Flight 526 crossed the runway without authorization. There has been no official response from Caribbean Airways officials so far, reports the Syracuse.
The Federal Aviation Administration is likely to investigate this incident although officials from the FAA have chosen to remain tight lipped about this incident as of now.
This close call between two aircraft nearly colliding at an airport reminds us of this breathtaking video that went viral last year. The video shows a similar situation where the pilot of an aircraft attempting to land at an airport in Barcelona notices another aircraft crossing the runway. The pilot of the approaching aircraft aborts the landing maneuver and comes back again later to safely land the plane. The aircraft involved in that particular incident were an Aerolineas Argentineas Airbus A340 and a Russian UT Air Boeing 767.
The latest incident at New York is more proof that even with the tremendous advances in technology, human errors could still lead to a catastrophic air tragedy.
[Image Via Wikimedia Commons ]
