Near-collision at Washington airport under probe
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."
- About Us
- |
- Terms of Use
- |
-
RSS
- |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Contact Us
- |
- Shanghai Call Center: 962288
- |
- Tip-off hotline: 52920043
- 娌狪CP璇侊細娌狪CP澶05050403鍙-1
- |
- 浜掕仈缃戞柊闂讳俊鎭湇鍔¤鍙瘉锛31120180004
- |
- 缃戠粶瑙嗗惉璁稿彲璇侊細0909346
- |
- 骞挎挱鐢佃鑺傜洰鍒朵綔璁稿彲璇侊細娌瓧绗354鍙
- |
- 澧炲肩數淇′笟鍔$粡钀ヨ鍙瘉锛氭勃B2-20120012
Copyright 漏 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.