An American Airlines plane that had begun its takeoff for Boston’s Logan International Airport was abruptly ordered to abort as air traffic controllers realized that another plane was landing on a cross-runway. The incident happened around 10:21 a.m. Wednesday morning at Washington’s Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in Arlington, Virginia. Air traffic controllers had cleared American Airlines flight 2134 for takeoff, and the plane had reached speeds of approximately 100 mph when controllers ordered the pilot to abort the takeoff. The plane, an Airbus A319, was cleared for takeoff into the path of a King Air landing on an intersecting runway. Air traffic controllers told the smaller plane to go around and not land, but it was too late as the Hawker Beechcraft private plane had already touched down. The flight bound for Boston was cleared for takeoff on Runway 1 and, according to the pilot, had reached a speed of at least 80 knots when the takeoff was aborted. The small King Air plane was cleared to land on Runway 33, according to information tracked by the website adsbexchange.com.”He was almost at the point of no return, meaning you can’t stop, you have to keep flying the aircraft,” Tom Kinton, former MassPort CEO and aviation expert, said. Kinton said 1,300 feet was the difference. “That closes real quick if that American was continuing down the runway at that speed.”The American Airlines plane returned to the gate, where maintenance crews performed several hours of inspections.The flight departed for Boston’s Logan International Airport approximately four and a half hours late. Were you on the flight? Contact our newsroom”An air traffic controller cancelled the takeoff clearance for American Airlines Flight 2134 because another aircraft was cleared to land on an intersecting runway at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport,” the FAA said in a written statement. “The FAA will investigate.””The safety of our customers and team members is our top priority, and we’re grateful to our crew for their professionalism,” a spokesperson for American Airlines said. “We will support the FAA in its investigation.”This is the latest incident involving a Boston-bound flight and air traffic controllers at DCA. On April 18, a JetBlue plane bound for Boston’s Logan Airport aborted takeoff after a Southwest Airlines plane encroached on the runway.The JetBlue plane had just begun its takeoff and was at a top speed of 34 mph when it aborted the takeoff.
An American Airlines plane that had begun its takeoff for Boston’s Logan International Airport was abruptly ordered to abort as air traffic controllers realized that another plane was landing on a cross-runway.
The incident happened around 10:21 a.m. Wednesday morning at Washington’s Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in Arlington, Virginia.
Air traffic controllers had cleared American Airlines flight 2134 for takeoff, and the plane had reached speeds of approximately 100 mph when controllers ordered the pilot to abort the takeoff.
The plane, an Airbus A319, was cleared for takeoff into the path of a King Air landing on an intersecting runway.
Air traffic controllers told the smaller plane to go around and not land, but it was too late as the Hawker Beechcraft private plane had already touched down.
The flight bound for Boston was cleared for takeoff on Runway 1 and, according to the pilot, had reached a speed of at least 80 knots when the takeoff was aborted.
The small King Air plane was cleared to land on Runway 33, according to information tracked by the website adsbexchange.com.
“He was almost at the point of no return, meaning you can’t stop, you have to keep flying the aircraft,” Tom Kinton, former MassPort CEO and aviation expert, said.
Kinton said 1,300 feet was the difference. “That closes real quick if that American was continuing down the runway at that speed.”
The American Airlines plane returned to the gate, where maintenance crews performed several hours of inspections.
The flight departed for Boston’s Logan International Airport approximately four and a half hours late.
Were you on the flight? Contact our newsroom
“An air traffic controller cancelled the takeoff clearance for American Airlines Flight 2134 because another aircraft was cleared to land on an intersecting runway at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport,” the FAA said in a written statement. “The FAA will investigate.”
“The safety of our customers and team members is our top priority, and we’re grateful to our crew for their professionalism,” a spokesperson for American Airlines said. “We will support the FAA in its investigation.”
This is the latest incident involving a Boston-bound flight and air traffic controllers at DCA.
On April 18, a JetBlue plane bound for Boston’s Logan Airport aborted takeoff after a Southwest Airlines plane encroached on the runway.
The JetBlue plane had just begun its takeoff and was at a top speed of 34 mph when it aborted the takeoff.