At Ronald Reagan National Airport in Washington, a plane from the same company aborted its landing to prevent another aircraft from taking off on the same runway. This incident adds to an alarming series of aviation incidents in the United States in recent weeks.
Air traffic controllers ordered the aircraft to perform a go-around maneuver Tuesday morning to ensure sufficient separation between aircraft, according to the Federal Aviation Administration in a statement. The maneuver repositions the aircraft to make another attempt at landing.
Less than two hours later at Midway International Airport in Chicago, a Southwest Airlines aircraft narrowly avoided a possible collision with a smaller commercial plane crossing the runway. The flight from Boston landed safely and normally, according to airline statements.
Jennifer Homendy, chair of the National Transportation Safety Board, mentioned in an interview with Fox News that in the Southwest incident, the crew of the private aircraft did not hear air traffic control's instructions to stop before reaching the Midway runway where the larger aircraft was scheduled to land.
These incidents add to a series of recent events in North America, including the mid-air collision on January 29 between a U.S. regional plane and a military helicopter near Reagan airport, where 67 people lost their lives. The NTSB must conclude its investigation before reaching final conclusions.
