A near miss at Boston's Logan International Airport is under federal investigation after a Delta flight arriving from Dallas was forced to abort its landing on Saturday morning to avoid an American Airlines plane on an intersecting runway. The close call, which unfolded in a matter of seconds, has renewed concerns about runway safety at one of the busiest airports in the United States.
According to accounts of the incident, the control tower cleared Delta Flight 2351 to land on Runway 33L and then cleared American Airlines Flight 3161 to depart from Runway 27, an intersecting runway, without adequate separation between the two movements. The conflicting clearances put a landing jet and a departing jet on paths that crossed at roughly the same moment.
The geometry of the airport made the situation especially dangerous. Runway 27 intersects Runway 33L approximately 2,300 to 2,600 feet from the landing threshold, which is well within the touchdown zone where the Delta aircraft would have been settling onto the runway. That left little room for error as the American jet began its takeoff roll.
The Delta pilots suddenly noticed the American Airlines aircraft barreling down the runway from their right and immediately initiated a go-around, climbing more than 2,000 feet in just a couple of seconds. According to a CNN analysis of tracking data from Flightradar24, the two aircraft came within several hundred feet of each other before the Delta jet pulled away.
The Delta flight was operated by an Airbus A319 carrying 129 passengers and six crew members. After breaking off its approach, the aircraft circled and landed safely a short time later, with passengers deplaning normally. The American Airlines flight, a Boeing 737, continued its departure. No injuries were reported in connection with the incident.
Audio from air traffic control captured the tense moments. The controller is heard clearing American 3161 for takeoff on Runway 27, and moments later asking the crew, American, where are you going, before repeating that they were cleared for takeoff and instructing the flight to contact Boston departure. At one point a pilot on the frequency reminded the controller that he had cleared the American jet to depart.
The Federal Aviation Administration said it is investigating the runway incursion. Although both aircraft ultimately landed or departed without harm, the episode highlighted how narrow the margin was between a routine clearance and a potential collision on intersecting runways, and it is likely to draw further scrutiny of how the two movements were authorized so close together.