Burbank CA aviation news: Southwest Airlines jet, Cessna nearly collided

2010-04-27 01:24:07 (GMT) (JusticeNewsFlash.com - Aviation Airline Accident, Justice News Flash)

Wiki Image: A Southwest Airlines jet and a single-engine plane nearly collided at Burbank Airport.

Legal news for California aviation accident attorneys. A Southwest Airlines jet and a single-engine plane nearly collided at Burbank airport.

A Southwest Airlines Boeing 737 and a Cessna 174 nearly crashed at the Burbank Airport, the FAA and NTSB are investigating.

Burbank, CA—There was a close call at the Burbank airport when a Southwest Airlines Co. jet and a small, single-engine plane nearly collided on Friday, April 23, 2010. The two airplanes reportedly came within 200 feet vertically and 100 feet laterally at the intersection of the airports two runways, as reported by the Dallas Morning News.

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) http://www.ntsb.gov/ reported the Southwest flight was preparing to land at the Burbank airport on the east-west runway, at the same time as a southbound Cessna 172 was taking off the north-south runway, which crosses with the east-west runway. The Cessna was apparently practicing touch-and-go landings on the north-south runway at the time.

A Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) http://www.faa.gov/ spokesperson stated, “Normally this would not have presented a conflict potential. However, the air traffic controller handling the planes misjudged the spacing of the two aircraft. The controller instructed the Cessna pilot to turn at a point that had the two aircraft arriving at the intersection at roughly the same time,” he said, and then “failed to recognize the potential conflict and did not instruct the Cessna to go around.”

The Cessna reportedly passed by the Southwest’s Boeing 737 just 200 feet above and 10 feet behind the jet. The FAA is investigating the incident. The controller who made the mistake, and all the other controllers in the tower, received training on what exactly went wrong and how to prevent it from happening again.

Legal News Reporter: Nicole Howley-Legal news for California aviation accident lawyers.