Estimated Cause of Air Traffic Control Tower Instruction Error
Two passenger planes nearly collided over Hancock International Airport in Syracuse, New York, prompting an investigation by the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). The two aircraft reportedly came within 200 meters of each other.
According to Fox News and other foreign media on the 10th (local time), at around 11:50 a.m. on the 8th, a Delta Connection aircraft taking off and an American Eagle aircraft landing nearly collided. A total of 159 people were on board the two planes at the time.
The incident was also captured on the dashcam of a local police patrol car. The footage shows the two planes gradually approaching each other until they appeared to overlap, then narrowly missing each other. Had the planes collided, it could have resulted in a major disaster.
According to the aircraft location service FlightRadar24, the closest distance between the two planes was only 700 to 1000 feet (approximately 200 to 300 meters). Fortunately, both planes avoided collision and no injuries were reported.
Communication records between the airport control tower and the pilots of the two flights indicate that the American Eagle aircraft was authorized to land on a runway at Hancock International Airport in Syracuse, while at the same time, the Delta Connection aircraft was also cleared for takeoff on the same runway.
According to the FAA's initial investigation, an error in air traffic control instructions is suspected to be the main cause of the incident. The FAA is investigating the case but has not classified it as a 'collision risk' event.
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