An American Airlines flight headed to Bermuda had to abruptly halt its takeoff at Miami International Airport after a private jet entered the same runway.
The incident unfolded Friday evening, with the two aircraft coming within roughly one-third of a mile of each other as air traffic controllers moved quickly to prevent a potential collision.
The American Airlines aircraft, which had 112 passengers on board, was traveling at about 60 mph during its takeoff roll when the pilots slammed on the brakes after seeing “another aircraft on the runway,” according to CNN.
Air traffic control audio obtained by ABC News captured the tense moments after the other plane crossed onto the active runway.
“You just crossed an active runway,” a controller told the pilot.
“You just told me to cross the runway sir,” the business jet pilot responded.
“No, we said Amerijet 461,” the controller replied.
The Federal Aviation Administration later said the private aircraft was not authorized to be on the runway. The agency has opened an investigation into the incident.
NetJets – the company which operates the private plane – has not commented. The Post has contacted American Airlines for comment.
The American Airlines plane, an Airbus A319, left Miami just before 8 p.m., around two hours after its scheduled departure time, and landed in Bermuda just before midnight local time.
Another near miss was reported Friday at Newark airport, involving a United Airlines plane that was coming into land.
Its pilot said “We almost hit a drone” in audio verified by CNN. The pilot said the object was “about 100 feet below us.”
“United flight 1513 reported a potential drone sighting prior to arriving in Newark. The flight landed safely, and customers deplaned normally at the gate,” United said in a statement.
Last week, a near-miss involving an American Airlines plane and a Delta jet was reported at Boston Logan airport – with aviation experts estimating the two planes were just 300 feet from each other.
