Phoenix near-miss: Planes' quick actions avert disaster
Two passenger planes came dangerously close to each other near Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport in the USA. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is currently investigating the incident.
The incident took place on Saturday, January 11, around 11 AM Eastern Time. According to a release from the FAA to "People" magazine, Delta Air Lines flight 1070 and United Airlines flight 1724 experienced a "loss of required separation."
Pilots of the planes received alerts and reacted immediately
The crews of both aircraft received onboard alerts about the proximity of another plane. The air traffic control tower provided immediate corrective instructions. Both planes landed safely.
The Delta Air Lines plane, an Airbus A330-300 from Detroit, was carrying 245 passengers. United Airlines was operating a Boeing 737-900 from San Francisco with 123 passengers and six crew members on board.
United Airlines stated in a release to "People" that while preparing to land in Phoenix, the crew received an "an automatic flight deck warning to change their altitude." This prompted the pilots to take immediate action and land safely. The airline added that it is cooperating with the FAA as part of the investigation.
"As nothing is more important than safety, Delta flight crews extensively train to handle uncommon scenarios such as this and followed the resolution advisory as directed," Delta Air Lines conveyed.
The air traffic controller might have overlooked this aviation incident
Arizona resident and aviation enthusiast Justin Giddens captured the incident in photos. "I just was watching it make its turn and all of a sudden I see another plane coming off to the left looking like they’re in an intersecting path," he said in an interview with KTVK.
Aviation safety expert Cary Grant, who analyzed the footage, stated that the air traffic controller might not have noticed it.
"it sounds like the controller got preoccupied with other aircraft they were checking on at the frequency at the same time," he told the media. However, he added that thanks to good weather conditions, the risk of collision was minimal.
Source: "People" magazine
