Wednesday’s near ground collision of an American Airlines jet and a King Air plane at Reagan National Airport, the second close call in a month, is once again raising questions about what aviation safety experts are saying is a severe shortage of air traffic controllers nationwide.
The Federal Aviation Administration has opened an investigation into this latest incident, when an American Airlines plane was on its takeoff and nearly collided with a King Air plane that was landing on a shorter runway nearby.
About two-thirds up Runway 1, the two runways intersect and air traffic controllers told the American flight to abort its takeoff, as the King Air was on the ground and approaching the intersection. It is estimated the American plane was approaching 90 miles per hour and was 1,300 feet from the King Air plane before stopping and taxing off the runway.
In recordings, air traffic controllers can be heard urgently directing the American Airlines pilot to stop the takeoff and turn off the main runway to avoid crossing paths with the smaller plane.
“American 2134, cancel takeoff clearance!” an air traffic controller said. “Zero alpha alpha, go around! Go around!”
“Rejecting the takeoff, 2134,” a pilot replied.
“Zero alpha alpha, we cannot go around. We were already on the ground,” said the pilot.
“American 2134, do you want to go back to the gate?” said the air traffic controller.
“Yeah, we need to talk to maintenance, but yeah, I think we were above 80 knots, so we’re going to have to get an inspection,” said the pilot.
The American plane was inspected and no damage was found. It eventually left for Boston, about four hours later.
Retired airline captain and aviation safety expert John Nance told WTOP that this incident once again shows the urgent need for the FAA to hire and train air traffic controllers and get them into the system once they are ready.
“We don’t have enough air traffic controllers. We don’t enough training,” Nance said. “We still have fatigue in air traffic control and we are not addressing these issues fast enough.”
However, even if this issue was addressed immediately, it still takes years of training before the controllers can work at the biggest and busiest air traffic control facilities and airports.
Earlier in May, President Joe Biden signed the new, five-year FAA Reauthorization Bill that the National Association of Air Traffic Controllers and others said will improve staffing at airports and air traffic control facilities.
This latest incident at Reagan National comes just one month after a similar incident involving two jets, one from Southwest and the other with JetBlue. The FAA has also opened an investigation into that incident and, in that case, the two planes came within 400 feet of each.
Nance said the aviation system has multiple redundant systems to prevent collisions, but the margin of safety is getting narrower and narrower.
“The problem is we can’t keep relying on the back-up systems to do it. One of these days, we are going to have a tragedy,” he said.
The close call has several senators who represent Maryland and Virginia, as well as several House members concerned. They fought a move in the FAA Reauthorization Bill to significantly expand the number of long distance flights out of Reagan to the West Coast and already, several airlines are vying to win those coveted slots.
Maryland U.S. Sen. Chris Van Hollen said instead of adding flights out of Reagan, the region’s two larger airports, Dulles International and BWI Marshall, should be used for those five additional landings and takeoffs that are being added to Reagan.
He said the congressional decision to expand flights at Reagan is “misguided and this is another very scary moment.”
As they await the outcome of the FAA’s investigation, Van Hollen said he will work with his Virginia colleagues to see if there is a way they can “claw back” at the additional slots at Reagan.
WTOP’s Mike Murillo contributed to this report.
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