Air traffic control audio released this week captures the tense moment an American Eagle pilot was forced to divert from the airport after preparing to land and asking what flights were cleared to take off from the same runway.
“Delta 5421, clear for takeoff. Runways 2-8, clear for takeoff,” the pilot of a Delta Connection flight with 76 passengers on board said about 11:50 a.m. Monday at Syracuse Hancock International Airport, before being told by air traffic controllers that the plane was cleared for takeoff.
“Wait a second, who got clearance to take off on two-eight?” asked the pilot of American Eagle Flight 5511, which was arriving at the airport with 75 passengers on board.
Air traffic controllers then instructed the American Eagle pilot to “go around.”
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The two planes came within 700 to 1,000 feet of each other, according to Flight Aware. (North Syracuse Police Department)
“Air traffic controllers instructed PSA Airlines Flight 5511 to go around Syracuse Hancock International Airport to separate from aircraft departing from the same runway,” a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) spokesperson told Fox News Digital.
The FAA said it is “identifying the aircraft’s closest point of approach as part of its ongoing investigation.”
According to FlightRadar24, the two planes came within 700 to 1,000 feet of each other, the equivalent of two football fields.
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“Endeavor Air and Delta continue to work closely with aviation authorities to ensure safety and quality of our passengers,” Delta told Fox News Digital in a statement. [put] “Safety comes first.” Delta is Endeavour’s parent company.
The airport said there were no disruptions to flights on Monday.
The incident came after a record-breaking week of summer travel, with the FAA revealing that TSA officers set a new record for the most travelers screened in a single day on July 7, the Sunday of the Fourth of July weekend.
A total of 3,013,413 travellers were screened at checkpoints across the country, surpassing the previous record set just two weeks ago on June 23.
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The Delta Connection flight ultimately landed at LaGuardia Airport as scheduled without any issues, while the American Eagle flight went around and then landed at Syracuse Airport.
