By A concerning incident unfolded at New York John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) on April 20, 2024, where a critical air traffic control error resulted in a near-miss involving multiple aircraft. Despite similarities to a recent incident at Washington’s National Airport involving JetBlue and Southwest, this occurrence went largely unnoticed until now, raising questions about aviation safety protocols.
The four aircrafts implicated in this alarming scenario were:
– American Airlines 2246
– Delta 29
– Republic 5752
– Delta 420
Swiss Flight 17, en route to Zurich, was granted clearance for takeoff from runway 4L at JFK when the situation escalated dangerously. Astonishingly, four additional aircraft were concurrently cleared to cross runway 4L, directly intersecting the departure path of the Swiss aircraft. This was not merely a case of conflicting trajectories; it constituted a scenario wherein five planes faced potential jeopardy due to controller oversight.
In a commendable display of professionalism and swift action, the Swiss pilot aborted the takeoff upon detecting the approaching traffic on the runway. Despite the severity of the incident, air traffic control failed to issue an apology or acknowledge the error.
Compounding the situation, while the Swiss aircraft remained grounded, another plane, Delta 668 from Austin, was cleared to land on the same runway. This sequence of events raises serious concerns about communication and coordination within the air traffic control system, underscoring the need for enhanced procedural vigilance.
Furthermore, the incident underscored apprehensions regarding workload distribution among controllers, with observations indicating simultaneous task management by two separate controllers on the same runway, rather than consolidated oversight by a single controller.
This near-miss incident contributes to a troubling trend of air traffic control errors and near-collisions, with approximately 300 such incidents reported annually. Recent notable incidents include a close call at JFK involving an American Airlines flight and a Delta 737, as well as a hazardous scenario in Austin where a FedEx plane was authorized to land atop a Southwest Airlines 737.
While the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has instituted measures to mitigate controller fatigue by mandating increased rest periods, lingering doubts persist regarding the efficacy of these measures in averting such errors. Addressing managerial and technological deficiencies within the FAA’s air traffic organization is imperative to safeguarding the future of air travel.
