Jaws have been dropping at footage of the moment two planes nearly collided at John F. Kennedy International Airport on January 13, as one aircraft crossed the runway just as the other was about to take off.
Captured by flight monitoring software in audio and GPS, the incident is now under investigation by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
The moment has since been shared across Twitter and TikTok many times, with viewers left shocked and praising the fast response of the Air Traffic Control team, who quickly averted disaster.
A Delta Boeing 737 carrying 145 passengers and six crew members was leaving the New York airport for Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic at the same time as an American Boeing 777 carrying 137 passengers and 14 crew members was setting off for London.
Delta Airlines flight 1943 was ordered to stop by a panicked air traffic controller, narrowly avoiding a collision with American Airlines flight 106.
The FAA reported that they are investigating the incident, which occurred at about 8.45 p.m. local time on Friday.
In a statement, the FAA told Newsweek: "A Boeing 737 operated by Delta Air Lines came to a safe stop on Runway 4-Left at John F. Kennedy International Airport Friday night after air traffic controllers noticed another aircraft crossing the runway in front of the departing jetliner.
"According to a preliminary analysis, Delta Airlines Flight 1943 stopped its takeoff roll approximately 1,000 feet before reaching the point where American Airlines Flight 106, a Boeing 777, had crossed from an adjacent taxiway."
The Delta flight that was unable to take off and returned to the gate where it could then not depart due to staffing issues and ultimately left on Saturday morning. The American Airlines flight to London Heathrow airport arrived on time on Saturday.
Major Disaster
Perhaps the most high-profile occurrence of a collision of this kind is the Tenerife airport disaster, which occurred on March 27, 1977, when two Boeing 747 jets collided on the runway.
KLM Flight 4805 initiated a takeoff run while Pan AM Flight 1736 was still on the runway. The crash impact and resulting fire killed everyone on board flight 4805 and most of the people on board flight 1736, which had only 61 survivors.
The incident which killed 583 people was believed to be caused by a radio miscommunication between the KLM crew and Air Traffic Control. The lasting influence of the incident highlighted the importance of standardized radio communications.
In the most recent incident, in audio of in-flight communications recordings the Air Traffic Controller is heard saying: "S***! Delta 1943 cancel takeoff clearance," before the Delta plane suddenly slows down before the planned takeoff.
A Delta spokesperson told Newsweek: "The safety of our customers and crew is always Delta's number one priority. Delta will work with and assist aviation authorities on a full review of flight 1943 on Jan. 13 regarding a successful aborted takeoff procedure at New York-JFK. We apologize to our customers for the inconvenience and delay of their travels."
When approached for comment, American Airlines told Newsweek to refer to the FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB).
The NTSB told Newsweek that they have launched an investigation into the incident but had no further comment.
Uncommon Knowledge
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Alice Gibbs is a Newsweek Senior Internet Trends & Culture Reporter based in the U.K. For the last two years ... Read more
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