Two Delta Air Lines aircraft came within 1,800 feet of each other after an air traffic control error led to a mid-air near miss at Atlanta Hartsfield International Airport late on Monday.
The incident involved Delta flight DL-1568 from Pittsburgh to Atlanta, operated by a Boeing 737-900, and Delta flight DL-2472 from Atlanta to Rochester, New York, operated by an Airbus A321.
The incident happened at about 11 pm on July 27 as Atlanta Hartsfield dealt with flight delays and diversions caused by bad summer weather. The congestion left controllers working to manage heavy air traffic.
At the time, departures were using Runway 26L while arrivals were landing on the parallel Runway 26R.
Delta flight 1568 had been cleared to land on Runway 26R. At about the same time, Delta flight 2472 received clearance to take off from Runway 26L.
As flight 1568 approached the runway, its pilots spotted a Frontier Airlines aircraft that had not yet cleared the runway after landing. The crew asked air traffic control if “there was something on the runway.” After the controller confirmed the Frontier aircraft was exiting, the Delta crew decided to abandon the landing and perform a go-around.
During the manoeuvre, air traffic control instructed flight 2472 to turn right and climb to 4,000 feet. The turn placed the departing aircraft on a path towards flight 1568, which had also been instructed to climb to 4,000 feet.
The crew of flight 2472 then informed the control tower they were “responding RA,” indicating they were following a Resolution Advisory issued by the aircraft’s onboard Traffic Collision Avoidance System (TCAS).
A Resolution Advisory is the highest level of collision warning issued by TCAS and directs pilots to take immediate action to avoid another aircraft.
FlightRadar24 data showed the two aircraft came within 1,800 feet of each other before the conflict was resolved.
Delta Air Lines said safety was not compromised during the incident.
A spokesperson said: “During the go-around, the flight crew maneuvered in accordance with established procedures while maintaining safe operations.”
The spokesperson added: “Our crews train extensively to handle uncommon scenarios like this.”
The US Federal Aviation Administration said it will investigate the incident.
Faridah Abdulkadiri
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