Southwest Airlines Planes Make Swift Last-Minute Move to Avoid Crash
The Daily Beast • • business
Key Points:
- Two Southwest Airlines planes nearly collided near Nashville International Airport on Saturday due to gusty winds causing one flight to abort its landing and execute a go-around.
- Air traffic control instructed the go-around flight to turn right, placing it in the path of another Southwest 737 cleared for takeoff on a parallel runway, triggering evasive maneuvers alerted by the planes' collision avoidance systems.
- Both flights landed safely, and Southwest Airlines praised the professionalism of its pilots and crews in handling the situation.
- The FAA acknowledged that air traffic control's instructions put the flights on a collision course and is investigating the incident, including whether it violated a new radar-based separation rule enacted after a 2025 fatal collision.
- The FAA and Southwest Airlines have been contacted for further comment, but details on the proximity of the near-miss have not been disclosed.
