BOSTON (WHDH) - The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is investigating a close call on a Logan Airport runway Sunday, when one plane had to slam on the brakes during takeoff to avoid another plane.
The incident happened Sunday morning while it was snowing in Boston.
A passenger aboard the Republic Airways plane operating for Delta spoke with 7NEWS about the incident. He said the flight with about 100 people on board was headed for John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York when it hit the brakes seconds before taking off.
The FAA said this all happened seconds after an air traffic control tower had cleared the flight for takeoff.
“It was a fast enough takeoff that as we started down you were pushed back in your seat, which is always kind of fun. And then after two seconds, the plane came to a halting stop, brakes were hit hard,” a passenger on the plane told 7NEWS.
After the incident, the man said the pilot told passengers the other plane was approximately 200 yards away from them.
“It was a pretty close call. Complete disaster averted,” the man said. “This was one of those days when you say, ‘yeah, maybe there really is for sure a God,'”
Passengers are now crediting their pilots with keeping them safe.
“Our pilots were heroes. It could have, and I imagine many cases would have, been a disaster. These guys were great,” the man said.
No one was hurt in the incident. After the flight crew checked the aircraft, it was able to taxi back to the beginning of the runway and take off a short time later.
A spokesperson for Republic Airways told 7NEWS they had no reports on this flight, and to check with the FAA or Massport. The FAA said it is investigating the incident.
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