BOSTON (WHDH) - Officials with the National Transportation Safety Board are now investigating Monday’s “close call” between two planes at Logan International Airport as the Federal Aviation Administration faces scrutiny from officials in Washington.
A spokesperson for the FAA said, based on a preliminary investigation, it was around 7 p.m. on Monday when a Learjet 60 allegedly took off without clearance, just as a JetBlue passenger jet was preparing to land on an intersecting runway.
“An air traffic controller instructed the pilot of the Learjet to line up and wait on Runway 9 while the JetBlue Embraer 190 landed on Runway 4-Right, which intersects Runway 9,” the spokesperson said in a statement. “The Learjet pilot read back the instructions clearly but began a takeoff roll instead.”
According to the FAA, the pilot of the JetBlue Embraer 190 took “evasive action” and initiated a “climb-out” as the Learjet crossed the intersection.
As the FAA’s investigation continues, the spokesperson said officials are currently determining just how close the two aircraft were to one another during the incident.
On Wednesday, President Joe Biden’s FAA nominee Phil Washington faced tough questions about safety at his confirmation hearing, with senators grilling him on his credentials and saying he lacks experience in the aviation field.
“As I look at your record, I see a record where you’ve got experience with buses, you’ve got experience with trains, buses and trains are very different from planes,” said Sen. Ted Cruz.
Washington has spent decades working in road and rail transit, but less than two years in aviation as the CEO of Denver International Airport However, he says he’s ready to take on the responsibility.
“I will own well-intentioned failure, and FAA employees will own their success,” Washington said.
This incident at Logan is one of five “close calls” this year involving a commercial airliner on the runway.
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