Sun Glare may have been a contributor to the recent near miss involving Southwest Airlines jets at Chicago Midway International Airport.
Southwest Airlines flights were forced to perform go-around operations while coming for landing when a small flexjet aircraft began taxiing over the runway plane path on February 25th. The incident was filmed on dramatic video.
According to a preliminary NTSB report, the flight crew of the Flexjet plane said they were instructed to “turn left on Runway 04L, Runway 31L, below Runway 31c, and “turn left on Runway 31L,” where the southwest plane had arrived.
“A posterior voice statement showed that the LXJ560 squadron was obstructing view from the aircraft's right side when it turned left,” the report said, according to the direction the southwest jet is heading towards them.
Southwest Flight barely misses a collision at Chicago Midway International Airport
Southwest Flight Crews performed go-around operations to avoid possible incidents on private jets that crossed the road on the runway at Chicago Midway International Airport on Tuesday morning. (Stream Time Live)
Flexjet Flight Crew added that he “taxed the runway 04L/22R and did not recall seeing shortline/pavement markings or other signs at the 31L intersection.
“They further stated that Runway 13R/31L appeared to have a very similar width to taxation and were not recognized as a runway,” the NTSB report said. “The captain said he thought it was Runway 13R/31L when he approached Runway 13C/31C. [Southwest] Final plane. ”
Please read the report below. App User: click here
“The ground controller instructed the LXJ560 to hold short line on runway 31C, but no transmission was accepted,” according to the NTSB.
NTSB “fails” in air traffic control hearings denounce mistakes near southwest Chicago on FlexJet crew
A diagram showing the travel route of an orange Flexjet aircraft and an orange Southwest Airlines plane held at Chicago Midway International Airport on February 25th. (NTSB)
After the incident, the captain of the Flexjet aircraft parked the plane and “we then contacted the operator to notify us of any possible pilot deviations, and set out to assess their well-being and continue the flight,” the NTSB added.
Southwest Flight 2504 from Omaha, Nebraska, eventually landed safely and took precautions to avoid a “possible conflict” with FlexJet aircraft, which Southwest said in a statement to Fox News in the incident.
“The crew followed safety procedures and the flight arrived safely,” a Southwest spokesman told Fox News in a statement. “For the Southwest, nothing is more important than customer and employee safety.”
The NTSB preliminary report suggests that it may be a contribution factor in the February 25 incident in Chicago. (NTSB)
Click here to get the Fox News app
“We know what happened in Chicago,” a FlexJet spokesman added in a statement. “FlexJet complies with the highest safety standards and conducts thorough investigations. Measures are being taken to ensure that the highest safety standards are taken.”
Stephen Sorace and Greg Wehner of Fox News Digital contributed to this report.
