An Alaska Airlines passenger plane narrowly avoided colliding with a FedEx cargo aircraft during its landing at Newark Airport on Tuesday evening. The incident occurred at around 20:17 as the aircraft were approaching intersecting runways.
According to flight tracking data, the FedEx cargo aircraft arriving from Memphis was preparing to land on runway 29, while the Alaska Airlines passenger plane departing from Portland was preparing to land on the intersecting runway 22L. However, as the aircraft approached, air traffic control suddenly instructed the Alaska plane to “go around.”
Flightradar images show that the passenger aircraft climbed to an altitude of 325 feet just seconds before landing and passed over the FedEx plane. Former Federal Aviation Administration Deputy Administrator Michael McCormick stated, “It is difficult for the tower controller to time it perfectly. In this case, the wait was too long and they had to instruct a go-around.”
The incident posed a serious safety risk due to the intersecting runways and the close proximity of the aircraft. A similar incident had also occurred just two weeks earlier between Singapore Airlines and Spirit Airlines.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) have launched an investigation into the “dangerous proximity” incident between the Alaska Airlines and FedEx aircraft. FAA officials noted that the investigation will provide important data regarding air traffic control systems and runway management practices.
