Non-public jet got here ‘inside 100 toes’ of colliding with Southwest airplane at California airport, NTSB says

By Pete Muntean | CNN

A pilot who almost landed a personal jet on prime of a business jetliner on Friday apparently seen the opposite airplane nonetheless on the runway, and investigators say collision was averted by lower than 100 toes.

The top of the Nationwide Transportation Security Board tells CNN {that a} Cessna Quotation coming in for touchdown on San Diego Worldwide Airport’s runway 27 Friday got here “inside 100 toes” of Southwest Airways flight 2493.

RELATED: San Francisco-bound United flight’s plunge towards the ocean was attributable to pilot error, NTSB says

The element offered Monday by NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy comes as her company is investigating the incident often known as a runway incursion, the seventh being probed by investigators for the reason that begin of this 12 months.

“It’s a giant concern for me and the company,” Homendy mentioned. “I fear about potential tragedy.”

The FAA mentioned over the weekend that San Diego air visitors controllers cleared an arriving Cessna Quotation jet to land on runway 27, then informed Southwest flight 2493 to taxi onto the identical runway and stand by for takeoff clearance.

The company says collision warning alarms alerted air visitors controllers “in regards to the creating state of affairs,” and controllers ordered the crew of the Quotation to abort their touchdown and go round.