Newly Revealed NTSB Records Uncover Startling Details of Airline Near-Collision
A February 2023 incident in Texas reveals startling details as a FedEx aircraft and Southwest plane narrowly avoid collision, shedding light on potential catastrophic consequences averted
The pre-dawn fog was so dense that when two jets nearly collided on an Austin airport runway, the air traffic controller could only see the lights of one aircraft, and a pilot could only make out the "silhouette of the left wing" on the other. These details are from first-hand accounts of the February incident, one of the most serious in a series of near-collisions at US runways this year. The incident includes pilots and air traffic controllers interviews with investigators. The National Transportation Safety Board on Wednesday released more than 2,000 pages of interviews, transcripts, air traffic control recordings, and flight track data it has collected on the February 4 incident.
The crew of the 767 cargo jet landing at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport reported to investigators that the plane was on autopilot during the approach. They were aware of a Southwest Airlines 737 cleared to depart from the same runway and had confirmed their clearance to land with air traffic controllers. FedEx co-pilot Robert J. Bradeen, Jr. stated that he was alternating his view from outside to inside the airplane when the plane was "probably 100 to 150 feet" above the landing point.
During one of the glance-outs, he noticed a white light that wasn't consistent with the runway lighting. He described how the light rapidly transformed into a silhouette of the airplane's left wing, just above the glare shield from his perspective.
The FedEx crew signaled for the Southwest crew to cancel the takeoff, while at the same time, the FedEx crew decided to abort their landing. In a separate interview, the air traffic controller, who had given clearance to both flights, mentioned that he was unable to see anything on the ground due to the dense fog, which was a type of fog he had only experienced a few times.
Controller Damian Campbell, who has been at Austin for four years, reported, "We had no ground visibility. You couldn't see anything - not even the approach end of the runway or our turnoff points." He also mentioned that he only saw the landing light of the FedEx plane and never actually saw the Southwest plane as it taxied.
Campbell expressed confidence in Southwest pilots being prompt in taking off after being cleared onto the runway. He stated that Southwest was the only carrier he would engage in a squeeze play with. Not being able to see the Southwest plane, he concluded that it may not have departed yet, as he could not hear the engines of the 737 from the tower.
Approximately 21 seconds before receiving the urgent FedEx abort instruction, he contacted the Southwest pilots to inquire about their departure.
"We are rolling now," replied the Southwest crew, as documented in the NTSB-published transcript of the radio exchanges.
Campbell told investigators that he was unsure why he had not canceled the FedEx planes' landing clearance, but he expressed concern that if he did so too late, the two planes might collide in the air.
"If he's coming down and we tell him to go around, and Southwest is already taking off, we could make a bad situation even worse," he explained.
In retrospect, he acknowledged that he could have prevented the Southwest flight from departing. "At the time, it seemed safe, but looking back, I definitely could have halted them," he remarked, pointing out that the limited visibility should have prompted a hold to create more distance between incoming and outgoing planes.
Campbell admitted to working an overtime shift and mentioned that the tower was understaffed, leading to controllers having to work six-day weeks.
