Learjet Takes Off At Boston Logan International Airport Without Clearance
Yet another close call between two aircraft at a major airport has occurred, making it the fourth known incident in the last two months. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is investigating a near miss between a Learjet and a JetBlue plane at Boston Logan International Airport.
The incident occurred Monday evening shortly before 19:00, according to the FAA. The Learjet departed without clearance on a runway that crosses another runway where a JetBlue Embraer 190 was about to land. In a statement obtained by NBC News, the FAA confirmed the incident.
Details of the incident
“According to a preliminary review, the pilot of a Learjet 60 took off without clearance while JetBlue Flight 206 was preparing to land on an intersecting runway. An air traffic controller instructed the pilot of the Learjet to line up and wait on Runway 9 while the JetBlue Embraer 190 landed on Runway 4-Right, which intersects Runway 9. The Learjet pilot read back the instructions clearly but began a takeoff roll instead. The pilot of the JetBlue aircraft took evasive action and initiated a climb-out as the Learjet crossed the intersection."
As part of the investigation, the administration will determine the exact proximity between the two aircraft, but according to FlightRadar24.com, the planes came within less than 600 feet of each other.
The FAA is investigating a “close call’ in Boston after a Learjet “took off without clearance” on RWY 9 as a JetBlue flight was landing on RWY 4R. Review of ADS-B data indicates the aircraft came within approximately 565 feet as the Learjet crossed RWY 4R. https://t.co/2yd2oneCM4 pic.twitter.com/PGI4icH5rn
— Flightradar24 (@flightradar24) February 28, 2023
Going around the airport
A JetBlue spokesperson reportedly said Tuesday in a statement that the flight performed a go-around before landing. Go-around procedures occur when flight crews decide or are instructed to abort the landing. The pilots then climb the aircraft back to a high enough altitude to circle the airport and approach it again to land.
“JetBlue flight 206 landed safely in Boston after our pilots were instructed to perform a go-around by air traffic controllers,” the FAA said. “Safety is JetBlue’s first priority and our crews are trained to react to situations like this. We will assist authorities as they investigate this incident.”
The flight (JBU206) was inbound from Nashville International Airport. According to data from FlightAware, the flight departed Nashville at 15:51, about 20 minutes after its scheduled gate pushback time. However, the tracking website still indicated that the flight left on time. It was scheduled to land in Boston at 18:35, but due to the incident and go-around procedure, the plane did not touch down until 19:06, arriving at its gate at 19:13.
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