JetBlue flight, Learjet involved in 'close call' at Boston Logan Airport; FAA investigating
Federal officials are investigating a "close call" between a JetBlue flight preparing to land and a Learjet that took off without clearance at Boston Logan International Airport Monday night.
The Federal Aviation Administration said a preliminary investigation showed just before 7 p.m. ET, air traffic controllers instructed the Learjet pilot to line up and wait on a Runway 9 while JetBlue Embraer 190 was preparing to land on a runway that intersects Runway 9.
Officials said the pilot of the Learjet read back instructions but "began a takeoff roll instead."
"The pilot of the JetBlue aircraft took evasive action and initiated a climb-out as the Learjet crossed the intersection," the FAA said in a statement to USA TODAY.
The JetBlue flight was from Nashville, according to FlightAware, and landed on time in Boston at 7:13 p.m. ET. JetBlue said in a statement to USA TODAY the flight landed safely after performing a go-around instructed by air traffic controllers.
"Safety is JetBlue’s first priority and our crews are trained to react to situations like this. We will assist authorities as they investigate this incident," JetBlue said.
The FAA added its working on determining how close the aircraft were to each other.
USA TODAY Hop-A-Jet, a private charter company officials said operated the Learjet, for comment.
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Recent close calls on planes
The incident between the JetBlue flight and Learjet comes after other close calls between two planes this year.
On Feb. 4, a FedEx and Southwest Airlines flights were "less than 100 feet" from colliding at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport in Texas.
On Jan. 18, a JetBlue plane struck the tail of "a parked unoccupied aircraft" at John F. Kennedy International Airport.
On Jan. 13, a Delta Air Lines flight stopped its takeoff roll approximately 1,000 feet before where an American Airlines flight was at John F. Kennedy International Airport.
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: JetBlue fight and Learjet have 'close call' at Boston airport: FAA
