JetBlue Plane Nearly Collides with Private Jet at Boston's Logan Airport: 'Close Call'
The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating after a "close call" occurred between a JetBlue plane and a Learjet at Boston Logan International Airport on Monday night.
The JetBlue Embraer 190 plane, which was on final approach and about to land at the airport shortly before 7 p.m., was forced to execute a "go around" when the Learjet took off without clearance, according to the FAA.
"The FAA is investigating a close call between a Learjet and a JetBlue flight Monday night, Feb. 27, at Boston Logan International Airport," a statement obtained by PEOPLE said. "According to a preliminary review, the pilot of a Learjet 60 took off without clearance while JetBlue Flight 206 was preparing to land on an intersecting runway."
The FAA statement added, "An air traffic controller instructed the pilot of the Learjet to line up and wait on Runway 9 while the JetBlue Embraer 190 landed on Runway 4-Right, which intersects Runway 9. The Learjet pilot read back the instructions clearly but began a takeoff roll instead. The pilot of the JetBlue aircraft took evasive action and initiated a climb-out as the Learjet crossed the intersection."
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Getty Boston Logan International Airport
The FAA is now investigating just how close the two planes came, the statement said.
JetBlue Flight 206, which originated in Nashville according to FlightAware, later safely landed, the airline told PEOPLE in a statement.
"On Monday, February 27, JetBlue flight 206 landed safely in Boston after our pilots were instructed to perform a go-around by air traffic controllers," said the airline. "Safety is JetBlue's first priority and our crews are trained to react to situations like this. We will assist authorities as they investigate this incident, and further inquiries should be directed to them.
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Robert Nickelsberg/Getty Images JetBlue plane
Monday's near-miss comes on the heels of a handful of other similar events.
In early February, a near-collision occurred after an air traffic controller double-booked a runway at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport. This led to a Boeing 737 operated by Southwest Airlines nearly taking off into the path of a FedEx 767 cargo plane, which was cleared for landing, the FAA said in a statement obtained by PEOPLE.
The FedEx plane averted disaster by climbing back out of its approach.
Courtesy of JetBlue
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In January, two planes nearly ran into one another at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York City. On this occasion a Delta Air Lines plane was just taking off when "air traffic controllers noticed another aircraft crossing the runway in front of the departing jetliner," the Federal Aviation Administration said in a statement shared with PEOPLE.
Delta's Boeing 737 managed to safely stop roughly 1,000 feet "before reaching the point" where an American Airlines Boeing 777 "had crossed from an adjacent taxiway," said the FAA, adding that it is looking into the incident.
