Passenger describes near-crash at JFK of Delta and American jets: ‘Everyone was sort of thrust forward’
Passengers gasped when a Delta Air Lines plane suddenly stopped in a near-crash at JFK International Airport, one traveler said.
Delta’s Boeing 737 plane managed to halt its takeoff when an American Airlines Boeing 777 crossed the runway shortly before 9 p.m. Friday, the Federal Aviation Administration said.
“There was this abrupt jerk of the plane, and everyone was sort of thrust forward from the waist,” Delta passenger Brian Healy said. “There was an audible reaction when the brakes happened, like a gasp. And then there was a total silence for a couple of seconds.”
The Delta flight, which was departing for the Dominican Republic, stopped its takeoff roll about 1,000 feet from where the American plane crossed, the FAA said.
The chaotic scene was captured in an audio recording in which an air traffic controller can be heard yelling, “S—t! Delta 1943, cancel takeoff clearance!” The audio was published by the LiveATC website, which shares control tower and radar facility broadcasts.
The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board are investigating the incident.
“The pilot made the call to only share information on a need-to-know basis, and that was absolutely the right call, because it would’ve been pandemonium,” said Healy, who was traveling with his husband.
The American flight arrived at its London destination on time. Delta’s crew and 145 passengers disembarked after the near-collision, and the flight took off 15 hours later.
“Delta will work with and assist aviation authorities on a full review of flight 1943 on Jan. 13 regarding a successful aborted takeoff procedure at New York-JFK,” the airline said in a statement. “We apologize to our customers for the inconvenience and delay of their travels.”
American is deferring inquiries to the FAA, the airline said.
With News Wire Services
