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In a dramatic incident at Kentucky’s Muhammad Ali International Airport, a UPS jet narrowly avoided a collision with another aircraft, highlighting a tense situation reminiscent of a tragic event at the same location years earlier. This near-miss occurred shortly after midnight on Tuesday and involved a Boeing 767 flying in from Atlanta, which had to quickly change course while a smaller SKQ-25 plane was on the runway, according to reports from WHAS.
The episode unfolded with confusion echoing through the air traffic control tower, as captured in audio recordings by LiveATC. An air traffic controller urgently directed, “Skylab two five stop,” trying to prevent the smaller aircraft from moving further.
As the situation intensified, the controller demanded, “Skylab two five. What are you doing?” before giving instructions for the pilot to cross the runway safely. The tension in the air was palpable, culminating in an apology to the UPS crew: “Sorry about that.”
This incident draws attention to the complexities and high stakes of air traffic management, especially in busy airports, and underscores the need for constant vigilance and communication to ensure the safety of all flights.
“Skylab two five stop,” an air traffic controller yelled before instructing the UPS plane to go around.
“Skylab two five. What are you doing?” the controller asked before telling the pilot to cross the runway.
The air traffic controller then apologized to the UPS crew, saying: “Sorry about that.”
A FlightRadar map showed the UPS plane narrowly missing the other aircraft.
UPS spokesperson Michelle Polk confirmed the plane carried out the go-around procedure “beautifully.”
A go-around is where descending planes abandon their landing, and continue on a flight path before circling back to the airport.
Polk couldn’t confirm how close the UPS jet was to landing, but a Federal Aviation Administration spokesperson said the “required separation was maintained,” WDRB reported.
Muhammad Ali International Airport is home to the major UPS delivery hub “Worldport” and two million packages are processed per day.
But, the center even has the capacity to process 416,000 packages and documents an hour.
UPS is the largest employer in the Louisville area — with a whopping 20,000 people working at the center.
The near-miss came just five months after a cargo plane, fully loaded with fuel, crashed shortly after takeoff before bursting into a fireball.
Three UPS crew members died and 11 others died after the plane smashed into nearby businesses.
Capt. Richard Wartenberg, 57; First Officer Lee Truitt, 45; and International Relief Officer Capt. Dana Diamond, 62, were identified by UPS as the crew members killed on the doomed flight.
The plane only reached 30 feet above ground level and a preliminary report from the National Transportation Safety Board ruled that the left engine separated from the rest of the aircraft.
The initial death toll was 14, but Alain Rodriguez Colina, who was left severely injured, died on Christmas Day seven weeks later.
With Post wires.
