FAA investigates another close call, this time at Reagan National Airport, ahead of safety summit
There have been at least six significant close calls at airports so far this year, according to the National Transportation Safety Board
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Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, questioned acting Federal Aviation Administrator Billy Nolen Wednesday during a hearing on a recent close call at the Austin airport, and played a video reproduction based on flight records.
The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating a recent close call between two planes at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in Arlington, Virginia.
At around 8:30 a.m. on March 7, Republic Airways Flight 4736 crossed a runway at DCA without clearance. The plane crossed the path of United Airlines Flight 2003, which had just been cleared for takeoff, the FAA said.
Before disaster struck, an air traffic controller noticed the situation and immediately canceled the United flight's takeoff clearance.
| Ticker | Security | Last | Change | Change % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| UAL | UNITED AIRLINES HOLDINGS INC. | 94.07 | -0.56 | -0.59% |
"The pilot of the Republic flight had originally been cleared to cross Runway 4 but turned on the wrong taxiway," the FAA said in a statement detailing its preliminary review of the incident.
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View of the control tower at Ronald Reagan International airport in Washington, D.C. (EVA HAMBACH/AFP via Getty Images / Getty Images)
The Republic aircraft was an Embraer 175 and the United aircraft was an Airbus A319. The FAA said it will determine the closest proximity between the two aircraft as part of its investigation.
The FAA is hosting a Safety Summit Wednesday morning to evaluate whether regulations need to be updated in response to several close calls this year.
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United Airlines Flight 2003 had a close call with a Republic Airways flight that crossed the wrong runway at DCA on March 7. (AaronP/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images / Getty Images)
| Ticker | Security | Last | Change | Change % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| UAL | UNITED AIRLINES HOLDINGS INC. | 94.07 | -0.56 | -0.59% |
"We are experiencing the safest period in aviation history, but we cannot take this for granted," acting FAA Administrator Billy Nolen wrote in a Feb. 15 memo. "Recent events remind us that we must not become complacent. Now is the time to stare into the data and ask hard questions."
The review team, according to Nolen, will examine the U.S. aerospace system’s structure, culture, processes, systems and integration of safety efforts. The Safety Summit will "examine what additional actions the aviation community needs to take to maintain our safety record."
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Billy Nolen, acting administrator, Federal Aviation Administration, will hold a Safety Summit on Wednesday to review several recent close call incidents at airports around the country. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images / Getty Images)
So far this year, there have been at least six runway incursion or separation incidents serious enough to warrant investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). A runway incursion is any occurrence at an aerodrome involving the incorrect presence of an aircraft, vehicle, or person on the protected area of a surface designated for the landing and take-off of aircraft, according to the FAA.
Last month, the FAA said it was investigating a close call between a Learjet and a JetBlue flight that occurred on Feb. 27 at Boston's Logan International Airport. On Feb. 15, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz grilled Nolen about another close call at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport involving a FedEx plane and Southwest Airlines passenger plane.
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Nolen has said that part of the Safety Summit's focus will be on examining data to "see whether there are other incidents that resemble ones we have seen in recent weeks" and "if there are indicators of emerging trends."
FOX Business' Daniella Genovese contributed to this report.