Chicago, US:
A major tragedy was averted in the United States after a Southwest Airlines pilot aborted the plane’s landing at the last minute to avoid potentially hitting another plane on the runway at Chicago Midway International Airport on Tuesday morning. The close call came as the private jet entered the runway without authorization, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said.
The incident, which took place at around 8:50 am local time, is being investigated by FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board, American media reports said.
The video footage of the near-miss crash was widely shared on social media, where Southwest Flight 2504 can be seen making its final descent for the landing when suddenly a white private jet appears on its runway.
Southwest Airline pilots SAVED THE DAY! Great job going around at the last minute to avoid a collision from a runway incursion. pic.twitter.com/FjzoqIzH73
— Combat Learjet (@Combat_learjet) February 25, 2025
The Southwest Airlines pilot suddenly cancelled its landing at the last minute, climbing toward the skies and accelerating away from the airport. The move allowed it to avoid colliding with a private plane that was ready to take off from the same runway.
Later, the flight landed safely at the Chicago airport after the flight crew had to perform a go-around to prevent a potential incident, according to Southwest.
The plane was reportedly just 50 feet from touching down on the runway before it was forced to pull up. The near collision happened as the pilot of the private jet initially read back bad information from the air traffic controller.
Midway air traffic control corrected the information and warned the jet’s pilot to hold position away from centre runway 31 at least nine times. But the pilot apparently ignored those instructions.
The Southwest plane was arriving from Omaha, Nebraska, and the private jet, a Bombardier Challenger 350, was headed to Knoxville, Tennessee, according to FlightRadar24.
The near misses on Tuesday came after a string of aviation disasters in recent weeks, including the midair collision between an Army helicopter and a passenger jet last month that killed 67 people.