Delta, ASA Plane Nearly Collide At Atlanta Airport (WSBTV.com)

[eppur_se_muova]

ATLANTA -- A Delta 757 and an Atlantic Southeast regional jet came within three seconds of a disastrous runway collision Friday at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport.

Without clearance from the tower, ASA flight 876 to Greensboro, N.C. crossed runway 27-right at 10:10 a.m. just as Delta flight 261 roared down that same runway, taking off for Puerto Vallarta, Mexico.

The 757 was too far into its takeoff to shut down and came within 1,250 feet of the smaller jet, Federal Aviation Administration spokesperson Kathleen Bergen confirmed to WSB-TV Channel 2.

A representative of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association said the planes were three seconds from a collision.

Officials at both the FAA and the National Air Traffic Controllers Association said the ASA pilot failed to follow instructions from controllers.
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more: http://www.wsbtv.com/news/15031942/detail.html

[gateley]

1. Yikes! nt

[Manifestor_of_Light]

2. Thank you, Ronnie Reagan. NOT.

Busting the air traffic controllers union. The air traffic controllers are warning us that near-wrecks are quite common and usually not reported, and I'm sure nobody will notice until two planeloads of people crash and everybody dies, and then there will be much gnashing of teeth and wringing of hands, and statements that "they just weren't aware that there was a traffic control problem" or something like that.

Check out: www.airdisaster.com

And two 747s full of people getting killed on a runway on March 27, 1977, in Tenerife, Canary Islands. One plane's captain (KLM) attempted to take off without clearance and jump over another 747 from Pan American, in the fog. The Pan Am plane saw the lights of the KLM plane heading towards them at full takeoff speed, and the Pan Am pilot turned off the runway at full speed. However, the KLM plane hit the Pan Am plane just behind the cockpit and they both were completely burned up.

583 people died, which is the official record for the most deadly plane crash in history.