WASHINGTON — An Alaska Airlines jet taking off in Nashville slowed to a quick stop on the runway to avoid a possible collision with a Southwest Airlines plane, and federal authorities are investigating the incident.
The Federal Aviation Administration said the Alaska pilots aborted their takeoff because the Southwest plane managed to cross the end of the same runway.
An Alaska Airlines spokesperson said the pilots recognized “a potential traffic conflict on the runway” and “immediately applied the brakes to prevent the incident from escalating.”
No injuries were reported, but the tires on the Boeing 737 Max ruptured from the extreme heat build-up during the stop, according to the Seattle-based airline.
The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board said they were investigating the incident, which happened at about 9:15 a.m. at Nashville International Airport.
Southwest said it was in contact with the FAA and NTSB and will participate in the investigation.
Alaska Airlines said the Seattle-bound flight was carrying 176 passengers and six crew members. The plane was being inspected, and another plane was sent to take passengers to Seattle on Thursday evening, the airline said.
A series of close calls, or “runway incursions,” over the past two years have raised concerns about the safety of U.S. air travel. NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy said last November that the incidents, while “incredibly rare” compared to the number of flights, show the aviation system is under stress.
Some of the incidents have been blamed on pilots not following instructions from air traffic controllers. But the scariest of the close calls — a FedEx jet that landed in Austin, Texas, flew over the top of a Southwest jet that took off on a foggy early morning in February 2023 — was blamed on air traffic controller error.
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