Video captures dramatic near-miss on runway at Chicago Midway airport
The near-miss was captured on video, which shows the commercial plane about to touch down at Chicago Midway, then quickly lifting off the tarmac as the smaller jet crosses its path to landing.
'The crew of Southwest Airlines Flight 2504 initiated a go-around when a business jet entered the runway without authorization at Chicago Midway Airport,' the Federal Aviation Administration said Tuesday. 'The FAA is investigating the incident, which occurred around 8:50 a.m. local time in a near-miss incident Tuesday.'
Audio posted to Airport Webcams indicates the Southwest flight was cleared for landing before the FlexJet plane is seen crossing onto the runway. Someone seemingly in the larger aircraft asks, 'How did that happen?' as the two planes pass.
According to ABC News in Chicago, the FlexJet was at fault for the close call.
'Air Traffic controllers can be heard telling the business jet to hold short and not cross the runway, but the business jet did not follow instructions,' a spokesperson for the FAA reportedly said.
Air Traffic Control recordings seem to show the commercial plane's landing was being managed by local controllers, while the business jet was being guided through its departure with ground control communicating on a different frequency. The FAA said the planes came within 863 yards of one another.
Recent weeks have been filled with harrowing and sometimes deadly airline encounters.
On Jan. 29, an American Eagle passenger plane collided with a Black Hawk helicopter near Washington, D.C., leaving 67 people dead. Two days later, a medical transport plane crashed in Philadelphia, killing all six people aboard and another person on the ground.
On Feb. 6, 10 people were killed when a small commuter plane crashed in western Alaska.
Surprisingly no one was killed when a Delta flight carrying 76 passengers and four crew members flipped upside down and caught fire following a Feb. 18 crash landing in Toronto.
_____
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Fox News
3 hours ago
- Fox News
America's skies are wide open to national security threats, drone expert warns: 'We have no awareness'
As drone technology rapidly advances, industry experts are warning Congress about potential airspace lapses creating the next national security threat if left unregulated. In a U.S. House Homeland Security Subcommittee hearing held last week, drone industry experts testified about the looming threats to airspace safety posed by unmanned aircraft systems (UAS). "More than half of all near misses with commercial and general aviation are with drones," Tom Walker, CEO of DroneUp, told Fox News Digital. Walker leads the world's largest drone services network while working closely with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), and the Departments of Transportation (DOT), Defense (DOD) and Homeland Security (DHS) to implement changes on national airspace policy. While on Capitol Hill, Walker implored lawmakers to build a nationalized system that has the ability to identify each drone, pilot and mission throughout the country. "We don't have awareness of our airspace," Walker said. "We don't have a common operating picture. We can't look at a picture, and see all of the drones and manned aircraft and say, 'Here's who this is and here's what they're doing.'" Currently, the federal government does not have a centralized database that identifies a drone and its pilot in real-time, creating security lapses around critical infrastructure throughout the country and a lack of accountability surrounding rules and regulations of airspace. The implementation of Remote ID – a "digital license plate" for drones – was rolled out in an attempt to identify UAS systems, but can easily be overridden to conceal a pilot's identity, according to Walker. "The problem right now is everything is about policy," Walker said. "We have a policy that says you can't go above 400 feet. We have a policy that says you can't fly during Temporary Flight Restrictions (TFR). We have a policy that says you can't fly in restricted airspace. And those policies have been violated over a million times." Walker pointed to several high-profile incidents in recent months involving drones interfering with law enforcement efforts. Earlier this year, a California man pleaded guilty to federal charges after his drone struck a Canadian Super Scooper firefighting aircraft while authorities raced to battle the devastating Palisades Fire. As a result, the potentially lifesaving plane was grounded for approximately five days. Another instance that grounded a first responders' aircraft occurred after authorities announced a helicopter aiding in search efforts for victims of the Texas floods was struck by a drone. "The helicopter was forced to make an emergency landing, and a critical piece of response equipment is now out of service until further notice," the City of Kerrville said in a statement. While officials have insisted these instances were completely preventable, Walker points to a lack of a centralized system to identify and locate unlawful drones. "I would argue we have no awareness of the airspace whatsoever," Walker told Fox News Digital. "If you don't have awareness, you cannot have control of your airspace. And if you don't have control of your airspace, you can't defend your airspace – which means you have no sovereignty of your airspace." Although the vast majority of regulations have been implemented through policy changes, Walker believes officials are focusing their efforts on counter-UAS systems in a misguided attempt to regain control of the country's airspace. "I get a little discouraged when I hear that the first step we need is counter-UAS," Walker said. "You don't own and control your airspace just by having defensive postures. You have to own it, you have to control it, you have to manage it – and then you use those types of measures only when you lose the ability to control a particular risk scenario." Walker's solution would initially be rolled out in areas that are at a high risk for drone incursions in what he calls a "phased approach," with agencies having access on an as-needed basis. "Let's start with protecting critical infrastructure," Walker said, before pointing to the United States' recent airstrike on Iranian nuclear facilities. "Think about the recent operation where we launched the B-2 [bombers]," Walker told Fox News Digital. "All it would've taken is a kid with a [drone] flying over that airbase and they wouldn't have been able to launch." As government officials look to integrate drone policies during a time when technology is changing at a rapid rate, Walker encourages collaboration between UAS experts and authorities to aim for long-standing regulations that benefit Americans while stressing that the current guidelines do not adequately address airspace concerns. "What systems do we have in place that are tested, tabletop exercised and in place to prevent that today?" Walker said. "The answer is nothing." The airspace database would then include areas such as the southern border and prisons throughout the country, in an attempt to cut down on criminals' smuggling attempts. "If you look at the number of things that are being smuggled into prisons, it's not just drugs, cellphones and SIM cards," Walker said. "It's knives, guns and explosives. The problem is already a crisis, and it's already costing lives. And we, as a country, have done very little up to this point, other than policy." Steven Willoughby, DHS director of counter-UAS program management, testified in a Senate Judicial Committee hearing on Tuesday about cartels using drones to carry out illegal operations at the border, echoing Walker's sentiment. "U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents and officers have seized thousands of pounds of narcotics, including enough fentanyl, to kill tens of thousands of Americans across the globe," Willoughby said. "Drones have also been used increasingly to conduct kinetic attacks or warring cartel functions have attacked one another using drone delivered explosives, and it's only a matter of time before Americans or law enforcement are targeted in the border region." The FAA did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment. The implementation of a nationwide, real-time database of UAS flights could ultimately allow drones to exist alongside manned aircraft, further cementing the United States' ability to protect both its domestic and international assets while aiding its citizens. "We should have both manned and unmanned aircraft working together harmoniously in a symbiotic environment and creating a force multiplier that allows us to save more lives," Walker said. " It allows us to protect our borders, and allows us to provide services to the general public at a level we've never comprehended."
New York Post
2 days ago
- New York Post
Ousted NYPD Aviation head was 'incompetent boob,' a police source said
The head of the NYPD's Aviation Unit was booted from the elite squad this week after trying to block the feds from probing his dangerous mishaps, The Post has learned. Aviation's Commanding Officer Winston Faison was an 'incompetent boob' who had numerous breaches in safety as he attempted to make himself the unit's head helicopter instructor, whistleblowers revealed. When FAA inspectors made a surprise visit to the base on July 16 because of internal complaints to the agency, Faison flipped his lid, police sources said. Advertisement 9 The NYPD's Aviation Unit's former Commanding Officer Winston Faison is being investigated internally, police sources said. Winston Faison/ Facebook 'Do not give them anything!'' he barked at his cops, an insider said. 'Who let them on the base?' Members have complained to the FAA and to NYPD Internal Affairs Bureau about Faison, 52, who took over in 2023 after stints at Youth Strategies, Community Affairs and two Brooklyn precincts. Complaints included: Advertisement Nearly crashed at the Brooklyn home base while flying the unit's pricey Bell 407 training helicopter with a student next to him during a hard landing in the last week in June. 'He and the student hit the ground hard,' the first source said. Neither was hurt. while flying the unit's pricey Bell 407 training helicopter with a student next to him during a hard landing in the last week in June. 'He and the student hit the ground hard,' the first source said. Neither was hurt. Took the same helicopter for a solo jaunt up the Hudson River on April 25, flying in the wrong seat against manufacturer's rules. 'There are emergency procedures that can only be performed sitting in the right (hand) seat,' said a second police source. The helicopter's tail rotor leaked oil and Faison didn't catch it because he doesn't do pre-flight checks as required by the FAA, the sources said. 'When he landed the tail of the aircraft was covered in oil,' the second source said. Hired new employees without the oversight of the NYPD, the sources said. 'He's working around department rules to get his people in,' a third source said. Oversped his rotor and 'could have torched a half-million engine we just got,' the first source said. 'Drooped'(cq) the rotor system down to dangerously low speeds, nearly crashing, the sources said. Caused structural damage to a $40,000 tail rotor while practicing a 'quick stop' maneuver over rocks on July 4. 'If that goes, you're going to spin around like a top,' the first source said. 9 He caused was damage to the unit's training helicopter during a hovering maneuver, police sources said. Obtained by the New York Post 9 The damage was structural and the $40,000 tail rotor had to be replaced, the sources said. Obtained by the New York Post Luckily, the tail rotor damage occurred during the final flight on the July 4 holiday, so Faison couldn't fly again, the sources said. Advertisement 'He didn't understand why he couldn't keep flying,' the first source said. The incident wasn't immediately reported to the National Transportation Safety Board as required, the third source said. 9 Faison used up the training helicopter's hours to get his instructor's license, the sources said. Instagram/ independentheli The unit bought two new blades for a total $80,000 to be safe, the sources said. Advertisement The Bell 407, which is used for teaching new pilots, was purchased in 1996 and is worth about $1.5 million. The unit also has four Bell 429's for patrolling, two Bell 412's for air sea rescues and a spy plane that can detect radioactivity. During the FAA visit, the feds left word that they would be back to talk to Faison, but he told his cops to keep them out, the sources said. 9 Faison went to an $80,000 weeklong class in Texas for training in the Bell 412 for air sea rescues, the sources said. Winston Faison/ Facebook 'He's telling them you're not to let the FAA through the guard booth,' the second source said. Faison also threatened to lock up the records, the insiders said. ''We're not locking up these records,'' the mechanics said, according to the second source. 9 Faison became an NYPD officer in 2000 and joined Aviation in 2023, records show. Winston Faison/ Facebook 'His biggest fear is for him to be exposed as the incompetent boob that he is,' a second law enforcement source said. Advertisement 'The only way this guy is going to learn his lesson is when he kills somebody,' another source added. Faison who insiders say is friends with Mayor Adams, was put in charge of the unit in 2023 and made $234,903 in 2024, records show. 9 Faison also runs a non-profit that aims to help underpriviledged kids become pilots. Winston Faison/ Facebook Faison, who joined the NYPD in 2000 and became the unit's first black commander to fanfare in 2023, began training for his instructor's license in April and obtained it May 28. Advertisement He got his coveted helicopter instructor's license in record time on the city's dime despite showing up so late to a $80,000 course in Texas that concerned trainers in the Lone Star State called the unit's base at Floyd Bennett Field, Brooklyn, the second source said. 'It used to take a decade to become a helicopter instructor in the unit,' the third source said. 'This guy does it in 18 months.' 9 Faison made history in 2023 when he became the first Black man to run the elite NYPD unit. News 12 Like most NYPD pilots, he had a private plane license when he joined the unit. Advertisement Faison went to two Bell training programs on the city's dime totaling more than $100,000 — one for $80,000 and the other around $20,000, including the air and sea rescue class he showed up to late in Texas despite having a travel day, the sources said. Meanwhile, pilots in the unit are working double and triple shifts because of high attrition at the NYPD, the sources said. 9 Faison previously worked in two Brooklyn precincts. Winston Faison/ Facebook 'He used up all the hours in the helicopter,' a fourth source said, explaining that helicopters have to be taken out of service after so many flying hours. 'There were pilots sitting around because he pushed them aside for himself.' Advertisement No reason was given for his ouster in an internal NYPD document that went out to members Thursday night. A police source familiar with Faison's transfer said he is under internal investigation. The FAA could suspend or revoke Faison's pilot's license. Faison hung up on a reporter who called him Friday. The NYPD didn't comment.
CNBC
2 days ago
- CNBC
Two Southwest flight attendants injured after jet moved to avoid another aircraft
Two flight attendants on a Southwest Airlines flight departing from Burbank, California, were injured and being treated on Friday after pilots took evasive action to avoid another aircraft, the airline said. Southwest Flight 1496 sharply descended nearly 500 feet, according to flight tracking websites. The airline and the Federal Aviation Administration said pilots took action after receiving alerts of a potential collision. The Southwest Boeing 737 continued on to Las Vegas, where it landed uneventfully. The FAA is investigating. No passengers were injured, but a passenger identified as Caitlin Burdi told Fox News Digital the sharp descent stirred panic onboard. "We really thought we were plummeting to a plane crash," she was quoted as saying. According to a statement from Southwest, the incident began when its crew responded to "two onboard traffic alerts" while taking off from Burbank, "requiring them to climb and descend to comply with the alerts." The incident came a week after a SkyWest Airlines jet operating as a Delta Connection flight from Minneapolis reported taking evasive action to avoid a possible collision with a U.S. Air Force bomber during a landing approach over North Dakota. The FAA said on Monday it was investigating last Friday's near-miss incident involving SkyWest Flight 3788, an Embraer ERJ-175 regional jet, which landed safely at Minot, North Dakota. The Air Force confirmed a B-52 aircraft assigned to Minot Air Force Base had conducted a flyover of the North Dakota State Fair last Friday and that military investigators were looking into the matter.
