An American Airlines flight was forced to abort its landing at Washington DC’s Ronald Reagan National Airport to avoid a plane taking off on the same runway — less than a month after a midair collision killed 67 people near the same airport.
The incident unfolded as the Airbus A319, which was en route from Boston, was preparing to touch down just before 8:30 a.m. on Tuesday, the Federal Aviation Administration said.
“An air traffic controller instructed American Flight 2246 to perform a go-around at Ronald Reagan Washington National (DCA) Airport to ensure separation was maintained between this aircraft and a preceding departure from the same runway,” FAA officials said.
The airline described the incident as a standard go-around.
“American Airlines Flight 2246 landed safely and normally at DCA after it was instructed by Air Traffic Control to complete a standard go-around to allow another aircraft more time for takeoff,” a spokesperson said.
The airline said the maneuver isn’t abnormal and “can occur nearly every day.”
“It’s a tool in both the pilot’s and air traffic controller’s toolbox to help maintain safe and efficient flight operations, and any assertion that Flight 2246’s canceled approach was more than that is inaccurate,” the spox added.
Also on Tuesday, a Southwest plane and private jet nearly collided at Chicago Midway Airport early Tuesday.
Southwest Airlines Flight 2504 was forced to abort landing and pull back up into the air after the private jet rolled across its runway “without authorization,” according to FAA officials.
Alarming video footage captured the Southwest plane coming within feet of the tarmac as the jet began rolling into its path.
And the incident comes just weeks after an American Airlines jet went down in the nearby Potomac River after a mid-air collision with an Army helicopter.
The 60 passengers and four crew members on board were killed, as well as the three soldiers in the Black Hawk.
