A Delta flight carrying 150 passengers narrowly escaped a runway catastrophe when another plane almost landed on it just before takeoff.
The flight was forced to abort takeoff seconds before the other plane landed directly in front of it.
Delta Flight 590 was taxiing out of Aeropuerto Internacional Benito Juárez in Mexico City, en route to Atlanta, when AeroMéxico Connect flight 1631 flew overhead at a distance of less than 200 feet on Monday.
As the flight was preparing for takeoff, the crew saw another plane landing on the same runway, CNN reported.
The jet then landed in front of the Delta flight.
After the near-crash, the plane turned back around to the terminal.
The crew then spoke with multiple officials before it departed once again almost three hours later.
“Delta will fully cooperate with authorities as the circumstances around this flight are investigated,” Delta said in a statement.
“We appreciate the flight crew’s actions to maintain situational awareness and act quickly – part of Delta’s extensive training.”
Aeromexico said in a statement that the airline is “working closely with the corresponding authorities to conduct a detailed investigation.”
“At Aeromexico, the safety of our customers and employees is, and will always be, our highest priority.”
Delta made reports to Mexico aviation authorities, the Federal Aviation Administration, and the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board.
The FAA has referred the investigation to Mexican authorities and Delta, while the NTSB noted they are aware of the incident but have no information to share at this time.
The near-crash comes after months of frightening flight incidents popping up across the globe.
In January, an American Airlines jet collided with an Army helicopter in Washington, D.C., killing everyone on board.
Just last month an Air India plane on its way to London crashed with 242 passengers and crew members.
US on edge over ‘cluster’ of plane crashes
A series of devastating plane crashes, including the mid-air collision above DC that killed 67, has left Americans terrified of traveling by air.
However, aviation expert and attorney Jason Matzus told The U.S. Sun the crashes can be attributed to “random clustering.”
“While these events are tragic, the likely explanation is simply ‘random clustering,’ which occurs when multiple crashes occur over a short period, warping our general perception and causing us to think that there is an increasing trend in plane crashes,” Matzus said.
“When in reality these crashes, despite being so close together, are merely coincidental and not caused by a systemic safety issue.”
The short period Matzus referred to was just a matter of three weeks. The aviation mishaps included:
January 29 – A military helicopter and American Airlines plane collided at the Washington DC airport, killing 67 people
January 31 – An air ambulance carrying a 6-year-old girl and her mom crashed on a street in Philadelphia, killing seven people in total
February 5 – A Japan Airlines flight hit a parked Delta plane at Seattle SeaTac Airport and no one was injured
February 6 – A small commuter plane on its way to Nome, Alaska, crashed killing all 10 people on board
February 10 – Motley Crue singer Vince Neil’s private jet collided with another plane, killing the pilot and injuring four others
February 17 – A Delta plane crashed on the runway at Toronto Pearson International Airport, miraculously killing no one but injuring 21
February 19 – Two planes collided at Marana Airport in Arizona, killing two people
February 24 – Smoke filled a Delta Airlines flight cabin forcing passengers to evacuate by a slide after making an emergency landing in Atlanta
March 9 – A Beechcraft Bonanza aircraft crashed into a retirement village parking lot in Manheim, Pennsylvania
March 13 – An American Airlines jet engine erupted into flames at the Denver airport, forcing passengers to escape onto the plane’s wing
Only one person survived, and 19 others were killed on the ground, tallying the death toll to 260, according to the New York Times.
The United States in particular is also dealing with a shortage in air traffic controllers.
In May, the Associated Press reported that around 3,000 more workers are needed on staff.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said it would take at least three or four years to get to that point, however, according to the outlet.
