WASHINGTON — On Thursday morning, investigators delivered a report to the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) about a close call at the Austin-Bergstrom International Airport on Feb. 4, 2023. A Southwest Airlines flight bound for Cancun and a FedEx cargo plane heading into Austin from Memphis came within 200 feet of each other, narrowly avoiding a collision.
A simulation of the close call includes audio of the air traffic controller telling the Southwest pilot to abort taking off on the same runway where the FedEx plane was trying to land. The FedEx pilot eventually did what's called a "go-around" to avoid a crash – flying up, turning around in the other direction and landing on a cleared runway.
Investigators say air traffic control cleared both pilots to use the runway. Investigators told the NTSB that weather was a big problem that morning, with dense fog reducing visibility.
An animation provided by the NTSB doesn't show the weather conditions but does give some idea of what happened.
The control tower is about 3,700 feet away from the taxiway. The air traffic controller granted Southwest clearance to take off, but at the same time, investigators say the controller had trouble seeing where the plane was on the taxiway because of the foggy conditions.
That's why investigators say the controller also cleared the FedEx pilot to land on the same runway.
There were two problems. First, investigators say the Southwest pilot took longer than expected to take off. Second, the FedEx pilot had trouble seeing the Southwest plane because of the fog.
The first officer on the FedEx plane saw a white light and a silhouette of the plane because he looked out the window. NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy asked Captain Warren Abrams, an air safety investigator with the NTSB, if that's normal.
"You are using your situational awareness. FedEx is, obviously, aware that Southwest is on the runway, been cleared for take off. Controller asked Southwest, 'Are you rolling?' Southwest says, 'We are' and FedEx is getting ready to touch down," Abrams said. "Just human instinct, I'm looking out the window too, to see what I can see. If there is an airplane out there, I need to know about it."
Once the FedEx plane got close, the air traffic controller told Southwest to abort take off. But instead, the FedEx pilot did the go-around.
The belly of the FedEx plane came less than 200 feet from the tail of the Southwest plane before the go-around.
NTSB members praised the FedEx pilot for avoiding a possible catastrophe, saying he saved the lives of 131 people. Meanwhile Board Member Michael Graham admitted he was critical of the Southwest crew and air traffic control for their actions that day.
"We had two aircrafts come less than 200 feet from each other, and that shouldn't have happened. I'm very glad we're talking about a near-miss today and not the other result that could have happened. We could be talking about a tragedy," he said. "I'm pointing out the system failed in this event."
Graham said there was a lack of ground radar assist and cockpit technology to help the crew determine any kind of problem on the runway.
"Our process and procedures in this case in the form of judgment, decision-making and situational awareness failed the controller and the Southwest crew," Graham said. "As controllers and air crew, we should use this as a training and awareness event to make sure we never let our guard down, we don't become complacent and [we] always take the most conservative approach to controlling and operating our aircraft on the ground and in the sky."
Investigators also said Austin's airport didn't have surface detection equipment to help the controller see through the fog – something that the FAA doesn't require. The Austin airport is one of many U.S. airports that doesn't have that technology, though it is set to receive it by the end of this year.
Investigators also noted that flight crew and controller qualifications, fatigue and tower staffing were not problems that morning, though the NTSB seemed to question those findings.
Audio logs from inside both planes were automatically deleted two hours after the incident. Current FAA regulations require that flights only keep two hours of recording. The NTSB recommended in 2018 that the requirements be expanded to 25 hours, but the FAA has yet to adopt that change.
In addition to the new technology the Austin airport is set to receive to help controllers better see what's on the runway in rough conditions, the airport has also recently installed a new, modernized tower simulation system to help train air traffic controllers. The FAA is also trying to recruit more controllers to help fill the shortage at Austin's airport.
The city of Austin's Department of Aviation released the following statement Thursday morning:
"The Department of Aviation deeply appreciates the attention by the NTSB, FAA and other federal entities as well as the advocacy from our elected officials to bring more safety resources to AUS in response to the February 2023 incident between two aircraft. We continue to support our partners at the airlines and the FAA as we all work together to uphold our most important commitment of operating a safe airport for all."