The Nationwide Transportation Security Board launched its preliminary report on Tuesday on the shut name at Chicago Halfway Worldwide Airport in February, when a Flexjet aircraft crossed the identical runway the place a Southwest Airways flight was coming in to land.
The Southwest crew carried out a go-around, passing about 250 ft over the Flexjet aircraft, in keeping with FlightRadar24. Nobody was injured within the incident.
This shut name is one in a string of aviation incidents in latest months, together with the crash between a U.S. Military Black Hawk helicopter and an American Airways passenger jet at Ronald Reagan Washington Nationwide Airport that killed 67 folks in January.
A Southwest Airways aircraft landed safely at Chicago Halfway Worldwide Airport after a “go-around” to keep away from a enterprise jet that “entered the runway with out authorization,” in keeping with the Federal Aviation Administration, Feb. 25, 2025.
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In keeping with the report on the Chicago shut name, the crew members of the Flexjet aircraft appeared to be confused concerning the location of the runway and solar glare impeded their imaginative and prescient.
The crew informed investigators that “the solar was impeding visibility from the correct facet of the plane.”
The Flexjet crew members additionally stated they hadn’t seen maintain quick strains or pavement markings for the runway 31L, which they crossed earlier than they entered 31C, the place the Southwest flight was set to land. They informed investigators that the runway 13R/31L “appeared to have a really related width to taxiways and that that they had not acknowledged it as a runway.”
Because the Flexjet aircraft approached the runway intersection, the crew members informed NTSB investigators that they regarded to the left and proper and didn’t see the Southwest aircraft.
On this Nov. 9, 2020, file picture, the outside of the Halfway Worldwide Airport signal on the departures entrance is proven in Chicago.
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In keeping with the report, because the Flexjet aircraft approached the maintain quick line for runway 31C, the air site visitors controller informed them to carry quick. The Flexjet crew didn’t acknowledge the directions from the controller and continued to cross the runway.
On the time of the incident, Flexjet stated in a press release, “Flexjet adheres to the best security requirements and we’re conducting an intensive investigation. Any motion to rectify and make sure the highest security requirements will probably be taken.”
The NTSB will proceed its investigation, and the ultimate report will probably be out in a single to 2 years. The Federal Aviation Administration can be investigating.
