NEAR MISS

Second Close Call in Two Weeks at Major U.S. Airport

An air traffic controller averted potential disaster.

A regional Delta Air Lines flight and a small propeller plane came within 500 feet of each other at John F. Kennedy International Airport on Monday. It is the second close call at the airport in two weeks. In a statement, the FAA said Endeavor Air Flight 5289, which was en route to JFK from Rochester, was on the final approach to Runway 22L at when a Cirrus SR22, a personal aircraft, crossed over to land on Runway 22R. “Air traffic control provided traffic advisories to both pilots, and each reported the other in sight. The required separation was maintained,” the statement said. Flightradar24 data indicted there was around 475 feet of vertical separation between the two aircraft as their paths crossed. The incident comes two weeks after two passenger planes, one American Airlines and the other Air Canada, came within 400 feet of each other while approaching the tarmac at JFK Airport on April 20. Separately, on Sunday, a United Airlines jet smashed into a semitrailer truck and a light pole on the New Jersey Turnpike as it was attempting to land at Newark Liberty International Airport. “This is unacceptable. We have really well-trained pilots. This should never happen in America,” Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said in an interview.