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- A Southwest flight had to abort its landing after a close call with a helicopter.
- The NTSB said it’s sending a team to investigate Wednesday’s incident.
- It comes as the government shutdown has increased pressure on the air traffic control system.
Investigators are looking into a close call between a Southwest Airlines flight and a helicopter that forced the plane to abort its landing and go around.
Southwest Flight 1333, from Baltimore, was on approach to Cleveland Hopkins International Airport last Wednesday.
At the same time, an Airbus H145 medical helicopter was en route to pick up a patient from a hospital in the city.
Flightradar24 reported that the Boeing 737 received a traffic collision avoidance system resolution advisory, or TCAS RA, an instruction that tells the pilots how to move out of the way.
Flight-tracking data shows how the helicopter passed about half a mile in front of the airliner, both at an altitude of 2,075 feet.
An audio recording from the air traffic control tower shows controllers instructing the helicopter to pass behind the Southwest plane.
The NTSB is investigating a loss of separation incident near Cleveland (CLE) on Wednesday. A Southwest 737 received a TCAS RA as a medical helicopter passed in front at the same altitude. Granular ADS-B data shows ~0.56 miles of lateral separation. https://t.co/WH8XLlTyZK pic.twitter.com/Q26G8Ti2Fd
— Flightradar24 (@flightradar24) November 1, 2025
“Sir, it’d be better if we go above it and in front of it, if we can?” the helicopter pilot replies.
The Southwest plane then turns right, and the pilot tells the controller they need to go around as they received the TCAS RA.
It circled around the airport before landing safely, data from Flightradar24 shows.
In a Saturday post on X, the National Transportation Safety Board said it was sending a team to investigate.
It added that the two aircraft experienced a loss of separation, meaning they came closer to each other than the required minimum safe distance.
A Southwest Airlines spokesperson said the “pilots discontinued their initial approach to the runway due to the presence of another aircraft.”
“Southwest appreciates the professionalism of our Crew in responding to the situation. We are engaged with the [NTSB] and will support the investigation,” they added. “Nothing is more important to Southwest than the safety of our customers and employees.”
The incident came as the country’s air traffic control system is in the spotlight amid the government shutdown.
Air traffic controllers aren’t being paid during the shutdown, but must still come to work due to their critical role. As the shutdown drags on, more of them are calling off sick.
Staffing shortages have prompted flight delays at numerous airports since the shutdown began on October 1.
“The shutdown must end so that these controllers receive the pay they’ve earned and travelers can avoid further disruptions and delays,” the Federal Aviation Administration said on Friday.
The Cleveland incident, although it ultimately didn’t lead to a collision or any injuries, bears similarities to a deadly crash that occurred in January of this year.
On January 29, 67 people died after an American Airlines flight coming in to land at Reagan National Airport collided with an Army Black Hawk helicopter over the Potomac River in Washington, DC.
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