Controllers blamed for 2 near-collisions
March 26, 2006
BY MONIFA THOMAS Transportation Reporter Advertisement
Air traffic controllers at O'Hare Airport were apparently at fault for two incidents last week in which planes had to abort take-offs to avoid hitting other aircraft, the Federal Aviation Administration said Saturday.
Only about 100 feet separated two planes Tuesday that were instructed to take off at the same time on intersecting runways, FAA spokesman Tony Molinaro said.
Thursday morning, two planes came within 600 feet of each other before the pilots were alerted and one plane stopped its takeoff.
No one was injured, but Tuesday's near-collision qualifies as one of the most serious types of runway incursions, Molinaro said. The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board are investigating.
"We're considering both of these controller errors," Molinaro said.
Such incidents are rare, the FAA said, considering O'Hare handles about 1 million flights a year. Last year, there were seven runway incursions at O'Hare. This year, there have been four.
Around 4:20 p.m. Tuesday, a Lufthansa Airbus was cleared to take off from Runway 4 Left. Thirty-five seconds later, a Delta jet got the OK to take off from Runway 9 Left, bringing the planes dangerously close before the pilots' takeoff instructions were canceled, Molinaro said.
Then around 9 a.m. Thursday, a Washington, D.C.-bound United Airlines flight was instructed to take off from 4 Left, just as a United plane bound for Orlando was cleared to taxi across the same runway, the FAA said.
mjthomas@suntimes.com
March 26, 2006
BY MONIFA THOMAS Transportation Reporter Advertisement
Air traffic controllers at O'Hare Airport were apparently at fault for two incidents last week in which planes had to abort take-offs to avoid hitting other aircraft, the Federal Aviation Administration said Saturday.
Only about 100 feet separated two planes Tuesday that were instructed to take off at the same time on intersecting runways, FAA spokesman Tony Molinaro said.
Thursday morning, two planes came within 600 feet of each other before the pilots were alerted and one plane stopped its takeoff.
No one was injured, but Tuesday's near-collision qualifies as one of the most serious types of runway incursions, Molinaro said. The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board are investigating.
"We're considering both of these controller errors," Molinaro said.
Such incidents are rare, the FAA said, considering O'Hare handles about 1 million flights a year. Last year, there were seven runway incursions at O'Hare. This year, there have been four.
Around 4:20 p.m. Tuesday, a Lufthansa Airbus was cleared to take off from Runway 4 Left. Thirty-five seconds later, a Delta jet got the OK to take off from Runway 9 Left, bringing the planes dangerously close before the pilots' takeoff instructions were canceled, Molinaro said.
Then around 9 a.m. Thursday, a Washington, D.C.-bound United Airlines flight was instructed to take off from 4 Left, just as a United plane bound for Orlando was cleared to taxi across the same runway, the FAA said.
mjthomas@suntimes.com