2 Delta planes have close call at Atlanta airport
Two Delta Air Lines planes carrying hundreds of passengers between them had a close call at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport this week and had to perform evasive maneuvers.
Around 11 p.m. on Monday, Delta flight 2472 was departing from the Atlanta airport to Rochester, New York, when it crossed in front of incoming Delta flight 1568 from Pittsburgh, according to statements from Delta and the Federal Aviation Administration.
Each plane had about 150 passengers and six crew on board, a Delta spokesperson said.
Flight 1568, a Boeing 737-900, had briefly diverted to Chattanooga, Tennessee, because of weather, but as it approached the Atlanta airport, the pilot decided to go around because another aircraft was slow to exit the same runway, the FAA said. That’s when it crossed paths with Flight 2472, an Airbus A321.
Anti-collision alarms played almost immediately in the cockpits of the two planes to warn the pilots to take evasive actions, according to CNN. The aircraft were separated by 1,230 feet laterally and 550 feet vertically at their closest point, according to Flightradar24.com.
The FAA is investigating the event.
“As safety remains at the core of everything we do, the crew of Delta Flight 1568 performed a go-around during approach into Atlanta due to potential traffic on the runway. During the go-around, the crew maneuvered in accordance with established procedures to maintain separation from other air traffic,” Delta said in a statement.
Each flight landed safely and passengers were deplaned normally, the airline’s spokesperson said.