FAA held safety summit after series of close calls at US airports, including Logan

The Federal Aviation Administration is looking for solutions after a half dozen close calls at airports across the country in recent weeks, two of which were at Logan Airport.

The FAA held a safety summit, the first of its kind in four years, as the agency tries to understand what’s happening.

“We are particularly concerned because we have seen an uptick in serious close calls that we must address together,” said Transportation Secretary, Pete Buttigieg.

Two weeks ago, a “close call” between JetBlue and Learjet flights at Logan Airport forced one pilot to take “evasive action” to avoid a potential collision.

A preliminary investigation indicated that the pilot of a Learjet 60 took off without clearance while JetBlue Flight 206 was preparing to land on an intersecting runway around 7 p.m. on February 27, according to an FAA spokesperson.

Investigators are now working to determine exactly how close the aircrafts came to colliding with each other.

Just last week, the wings of two United planes clipped each other at Logan.

In a statement, the FAA said, “As a tow tug was pushing it back from the gate at Boston Logan International Airport, the right wing of United Airlines Flight 515 struck the tail of United Airlines Flight 267 around 8:30 a.m. local time this morning. Both aircraft were Boeing 737s that were scheduled for departure. The FAA will investigate.”

Fortunately, no one was hurt in either case.

Still, Buttigieg says air travel is the safest form of travel and has had a history of strong safety records.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.

Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts.

Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW