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American Airlines plane rejects takeoff right before runway near-collision

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7 months ago

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American Airlines plane rejects takeoff right before runway near-collision

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The Federal Aviation Administration is currently investigating a Wednesday morning near-collision between an American Airlines plane and another aircraft on the runway of Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in Virginia, according to the FAA. 

“An air traffic controller cancelled the takeoff clearance for American Airlines flight 2134 because another aircraft was cleared to land on an intersecting runway at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport,” the FAA said. 

The American Airlines Airbus A319 was bound for Boston’s Logan International Airport and already traveling at a speed of around 92 miles per hour when the pilot was told to cease takeoff.

In an audio recording shared by NBC News, air traffic control is heard saying, “American 2134 cancel takeoff clearance … zero, alpha, alpha, go around, go around.”

“Rejecting the takeoff, 2134,” the American Airlines pilot said. 

“And zero, alpha, alpha, cannot go around, we are already on the ground,” the other pilot, who was flying a King Air plane, said. 

The air traffic controller said the American Airlines aircraft would need to be resequenced and asked if the American Airlines pilot wanted to “go back to the gate.” 

“We need to talk to maintenance, but yeah, I think we were above 80 knots (92 miles) so we’re going to have to get an inspection,” the American Airlines pilot said. 

“The safety of our customers and team members is our top priority, and we’re grateful to our crew for their professionalism,” an American Airlines spokesperson told USA TODAY in an email. “We will support the FAA  and NTSB in their investigations.”

AA2134 took off four hours after its scheduled depature time and arrived safely in Boston, according to FlightAware.

This incident is the latest in a series of near-disasters on runways. Last month, the airport experienced another close call when a JetBlue plane was cleared for takeoff while a Southwest flight was cleared to cross the same runway. The JetBlue began its takeoff roll when air traffic controllers started yelling for the two planes to stop. 

Following the last incident, the FAA released a report that found the air traffic control workforce to be at a high risk of fatigue, resulting in crucial safety risks. The agency will soon increase the rest period for air traffic controllers from nine to 10 hours as well as require a minimum 12-hour rest period before a midnight shift.  

Kathleen Wong is a travel reporter for USA TODAY based in Hawaii. You can reach her at kwong@usatoday.com.

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