Near-collision at Washington airport under probe
Source: Agencies |
August 3, 2012, Friday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
THE United States Federal Aviation Administration is investigating how three commuter jets narrowly avoided a midair collision near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.
The Washington Post reports the three planes were operated by US Airways and were carrying 192 passengers and crew members. It cited federal officials with direct knowledge of the incident.
The federal agency said in an emailed statement that it will take "appropriate action to address the miscommunication" that led to the incident on Tuesday afternoon. It says that due to bad weather, air traffic controllers switched landing and departing operations and miscommunication "led to a loss of the required separation" between the jets.
Standard separation requirements are 1,000 vertical feet (300 meters) and 3.5 lateral miles (5.6 kilometers).
The agency said preliminary information indicated the landing plane came within 152 meters and 2.7km of one departing plane and 183 meters and 4.5km of the second plane.
An audio recording of communications between the landing plane and the air traffic control tower at the airport shows confusion as the flight is given instructions on landing.
"We were clear at the river back there. What happened?" someone in the plane's cockpit says on the recording, obtained from LiveATC.com, a website that records air traffic communications.
The tower responds: "We're trying to figure this out, too. Stand by."
The landing flight then advises the tower that the plane doesn't have much fuel left: "We gotta get on the ground here pretty quick," a man says.
US Airways spokesman Todd Lehmacher said that the airline is "currently investigating and working with the FAA to determine what occurred."
The Washington Post reports the three planes were operated by US Airways and were carrying 192 passengers and crew members. It cited federal officials with direct knowledge of the incident.
The federal agency said in an emailed statement that it will take "appropriate action to address the miscommunication" that led to the incident on Tuesday afternoon. It says that due to bad weather, air traffic controllers switched landing and departing operations and miscommunication "led to a loss of the required separation" between the jets.
Standard separation requirements are 1,000 vertical feet (300 meters) and 3.5 lateral miles (5.6 kilometers).
The agency said preliminary information indicated the landing plane came within 152 meters and 2.7km of one departing plane and 183 meters and 4.5km of the second plane.
An audio recording of communications between the landing plane and the air traffic control tower at the airport shows confusion as the flight is given instructions on landing.
"We were clear at the river back there. What happened?" someone in the plane's cockpit says on the recording, obtained from LiveATC.com, a website that records air traffic communications.
The tower responds: "We're trying to figure this out, too. Stand by."
The landing flight then advises the tower that the plane doesn't have much fuel left: "We gotta get on the ground here pretty quick," a man says.
US Airways spokesman Todd Lehmacher said that the airline is "currently investigating and working with the FAA to determine what occurred."
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