JetBlue pilot forced to take ‘evasive action’ after an aircraft crossed the runway

A JetBlue pilot had to take “evasive action” while landing at Boston’s Logan International Airport when another plane crossed an intersecting runway, the Federal Aviation Administration said.

The close call occurred at 7 p.m. Monday when the pilot of a Learjet 60 took off without clearance as a JetBlue flight prepared to land on an intersecting runway, according to the FAA’s preliminary assessment.

The FAA is investigating how close the two planes got, but flight data tracking service Flightradar24 said Tuesday that a preliminary analysis put the planes about 500 feet apart.

An air traffic controller instructed the pilot of the Learjet to line up and wait on one runway while the JetBlue flight landed on another, the FAA said in a statement.

“The Learjet pilot clearly read back the instructions, but instead began a takeoff roll,” the FAA said. “The pilot of the JetBlue aircraft undertook an evasive maneuver and began to climb out as the Learjet crossed the intersection.”

According to Flightradar24, the JetBlue flight arrived in Boston from Nashville, Tennessee. Meanwhile, the Learjet 60 was on its way to Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

A terrified passenger remembered the near-collision that most of the people on board were unaware of.

“I was on this plane. Absolutely terrifying – I don’t think most people knew what happened, but it was clear what must have happened,” Adam Johnson wrote on Twitter.

JetBlue Airways said it is working with investigators in the Logan near miss.

“On Monday, Feb. 27, JetBlue Flight 206 landed safely in Boston after our pilots were instructed by air traffic controllers to perform a go-around,” the airline said in a statement. “Safety is JetBlue’s number one priority and our crews are trained to respond to these types of situations.”

The close call occurred around 7 p.m. Monday when the pilot of a Learjet 60 (similar to the one above) took off without clearance

The FAA is investigating how close the two planes got, but flight data tracking service Flightradar24 said Tuesday that a preliminary analysis placed the plane at about 160 meters. Pictured: Boston Logan International Airport

The close call at Logan is the latest commercial jet near miss in recent months. There was one at New York’s John F. Kennedy Airport in January, a second in Austin, Texas, in February, and a third off the coast of Hawaii in December.

The near miss from Austin-Bergstrom International Airport on Feb. 4 occurred when a FedEx plane nearly landed on top of a Southwest jet bound for Cancun, Mexico loaded with passengers.

According to reports, the Southwest flight was cleared to take off, but took too long.

Audio revealed how a FedEx pilot landing his jet urgently told a Southwest jet to abort takeoff so they wouldn’t crash into each other. Quick-thinking pilots on the cargo plane were forced to make a quick go-around, narrowly avoiding a collision.

A FedEx cargo plane nearly crashed into a departing Southwest flight at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport in Texas on Feb. 4

The near-crash came just a month after a similar close call was averted Jan. 13 at John F. Kennedy International Airport when an American Airlines plane crossed a runway while a Delta Airlines Boeing 737 plane was preparing for takeoff.

The Delta flight was overflying a runway at New York Airport at around 8:45 p.m. when an air traffic controller noticed the American Airlines flight to the UK was crossing from an adjacent runway just ahead of the departing plane. ABC 7 reports.

Air traffic control had instructed the American Airlines flight to cross “runway 31L at Kilo,” but instead crossed runway 4 left at Juliet and crossed directly ahead of the departing Delta flight.

The Delta pilot had to brake abruptly and covered another 200 feet before coming to a complete stop with only 300 feet left before the plane would have boned the American Airlines Boeing 777. The Federal Aviation Administration said in a preliminary statement.

It was then forced to return to the gate and did not take off again until the following morning, with the American Airlines flight arriving in the UK on time.

That near misses prompted FAA Administrator Billy Nolen to say earlier this month that he was assembling a team of experts to assess airline safety.

The Delta flight was overflying a runway at New York Airport at around 8:45 p.m. when an air traffic controller noticed the American Airlines flight to the UK was crossing just ahead of the departing plane from an adjacent runway. Pictured: The near-crash at John F. Kennedy International Airport on Jan. 13

The sting of near misses first began on Dec. 18 when 20 people were injured in a mass emergency aboard a Hawaiian Airlines flight from Arizona after it encountered severe turbulence.

Passengers were nearing the end of their seven-hour flight from Phoenix to Honolulu when many were thrown from their seats.

It was confirmed that 11 people were seriously injured, including several children and a 14-month-old baby. Nine others suffered minor injuries and of those seven decided to take the bus to hospital for further treatment

Several passengers were seen wearing neck braces after being smashed into the ceiling of the plane they were traveling on Dec. 18

A Twitter user posted a video of some of the damage to the cabin roof that appears to have been smashed when people hit the ceiling when the plane suddenly fell