Two packed airplanes nearly collided on a Virginia runway Thursday morning, each pumping their brakes just several hundred feet from the other.
The scary close call happened around 7:40 a.m. when an air traffic controller gave the okay for a Florida-bound Southwest Airlines plane to cross onto runway 4 at the Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport just outside Washington DC, the FAA said in a statement.
At that same time, JetBlue Flight 1554 was starting its takeoff roll on the very same runway.
It took another 30 seconds for controllers to realize the mistake — and desperately call for both to halt.
“JetBlue 1554 stop! 1554 stop!” the tower controller called out in audio obtained by CNN.
“2937 stop!” the ground controller ordered.
The Southwest pilot replied: “We stopped. We were cleared to cross Runway 4.”
Both liners slammed on the brakes in the nick of time, leaving just 400 feet between each.
Fortunately, no injuries were reported in the chaos.
The JetBlue plane ultimately taxied back to the runway, where it underwent an inspection before continuing its journey to Boston’s Logan Airport.
“Safety is JetBlue’s first priority, and we will work closely with federal officials as this event is fully investigated,” a spokesperson said.
The Southwest plane was directed to continue across runway 4 and taxied to a second runway, where it took off toward Orlando.
“We are aware of the incident and are working with the FAA to fully understand the circumstance,” Southwest Airlines said in a statement.
The FAA is investigating the incident.
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