SARASOTA, Fla. — Federal transportation officials are investigating after two planes narrowly avoided colliding last month at Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport.
On Feb. 16, an Air Canada flight to Toronto was cleared for takeoff on SRQ's Runway 14 as an American Airlines flight from Charlotte was cleared to land on the same runway, according to the National Transportation Safety Board.
Officials said the American Airlines crew self-initiated a go-around and began to climb, avoiding a collision. No injuries or damages were reported.
According to the agency, a preliminary report on the investigation is expected in two to three weeks.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), which is assisting in the investigation, said the planes were about 3,100 feet apart when the American Airlines flight began to climb.
"An air traffic controller cleared an Air Canada Rouge Airbus A321 for takeoff at Sarasota/Bradenton International Airport on Feb. 16 after clearing an American Airlines Boeing 737 to land on the same runway. After the controller advised the American flight crew that Air Canada was departing, the American flight crew discontinued their landing," the FAA's statement reads, in part.
This comes as the NTSB and FAA are investigating a series of other flight-related incidents throughout the country.
On Monday morning, two United Airlines planes made contact with each other near the gate area at Boston Logan International Airport. A week prior, a JetBlue flight from Nashville landing at Logan had to take evasive action when a Learjet charter jet crossed an intersecting runway.
“I don’t know that I can say that it’s a trend, but these are disturbing because it just takes one,” NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy said last week. “That is why we investigate incidents — so that we can identify problems, especially when we see trends, and address them before they become a full-blown accident.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
