An Alaska Airlines jet had to abruptly stop on the runway in Nashville to avoid a potential collision with a Southwest Airlines plane, prompting investigations by federal agencies. The Federal Aviation Administration disclosed that the Alaska pilots decided to abort their takeoff after realizing that the Southwest aircraft had been cleared to cross the end of the same runway.
According to an Alaska Airlines spokesperson, the pilots took immediate action upon recognizing the potential traffic conflict and applied the brakes to prevent any escalation of the situation. Fortunately, there were no reported injuries, although the extreme heat generated during the sudden stop caused the tires on the Boeing 737 Max to go flat.
The incident occurred around 9:15 a.m. at Nashville International Airport, leading both the FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board to launch investigations. Southwest Airlines confirmed their cooperation with the authorities in the ongoing inquiry.
The Alaska Airlines flight bound for Seattle was carrying 176 passengers and six crew members. The aircraft is currently undergoing inspection, and arrangements have been made to transport the passengers to Seattle via another plane by Thursday night.
Recent instances of close calls, known as 'runway incursions,' have raised concerns about the safety of air travel in the United States. NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy highlighted the rarity of such incidents compared to the vast number of flights but emphasized the stress on the aviation system.
While some runway incursions have been attributed to pilots not adhering to air traffic control instructions, a particularly alarming incident in February 2023 involved a FedEx jet flying over a Southwest jet during takeoff in Austin, Texas, due to errors by an air traffic controller.
