David Shepardson
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The National Transportation Safety Board found that poor assumptions by an air traffic controller led to the February 2023 near-collision between a FedEx (NYSE:) plane and a Southwest Airlines (NYSE:) plane in Austin, Texas. .
The two planes were approximately 170 feet (52 m) apart when the FedEx Boeing 767 was forced to fly over the Southwest 737-700 to avoid crashing in poor visibility. It was one of at least a half-dozen near misses in the past year, raising concerns about U.S. aviation security and the strain on an understaffed air traffic control service.
The air traffic controller cleared both planes to use the same runway. In an NTSB interview published last year, he said he assumed the Southwest plane would have already taken off before the FedEx plane landed, given his “expectation bias” that Southwest planes took off quickly.
The NTSB found Thursday that the probable cause of the incident was a controller’s incorrect assumption that the Southwest plane would take off before the FedEx plane arrived on the same runway. He also pointed to a lack of situational awareness, as well as a lack of training in low visibility conditions and the Federal Aviation Administration’s failure to install safety technology.
NTSB Chairman Jennifer Homendy said the board wants to provide training for controllers in low visibility conditions, as well as speed up the implementation of airport technology and cockpit alerts to prevent future collisions.
Homendy noted that the number of serious runway incursions increased sharply in 2023 but decreased in the first half of 2024. She added that the NTSB is looking into several recent incidents.
“This really could have ended in disaster and the death of 133 people,” Homendy said. “This should serve as a wake-up call to many – these are warning signs and that means action needs to be taken immediately.”
The NTSB also said the Southwest flight crew contributed to the incident by failing to notify the controller that they would need more time before takeoff. Southwest said it shares the NTSB’s “commitment to the mission of continually improving safety.”
The NTSB investigates vehicle accidents and accidents to determine probable cause and makes safety recommendations, but is not a regulatory agency and does not impose fines or penalties.
The FAA said the number of serious runway incursions dropped by 59% in the first three months of 2024, “and the FAA and the aviation community continue to strive to reduce serious hazardous situations to zero.”
The Southwest plane, bound for Cancun, Mexico, with 123 passengers and five crew members on board took off safely. There were three crew members on the FedEx plane.
The NTSB expressed serious concerns about the FAA’s training of air traffic controllers in low visibility conditions such as those experienced during the Austin incident. NTSB staff are requiring additional training as well as additional communication between controllers and flight crews.
According to the NTSB, the Austin control tower had not provided low visibility training for at least two years before the incident.
The FAA is struggling to address a persistent shortage of air traffic controllers and has been forced to eliminate minimum flight requirements in New York as a result. At some sites, supervisors are working overtime and working six-day weeks to cover shortfalls. The FAA agency is behind staffing levels by about 3,000 inspectors.
The Council again calls on the FAA to install ground detection technology at all major airports to detect near misses, which it has done for more than 30 years. In 2023, Austin did not have surface detection technology. The FAA will install its Surface Awareness Initiative (SAI) system in Austin by June 30.