The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is under scrutiny following a harrowing near-miss incident at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport in February 2023, when a FedEx cargo plane narrowly avoided a collision with a Southwest Airlines jet. During a National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) meeting, details emerged of the two aircraft coming within 200 feet of each other, a mishap largely attributed to weather conditions and a lack of critical air traffic control technology, as reported by KVUE.
Last year, the FedEx co-pilot's quick action to execute a "go-around" maneuver prevented a potential disaster just moments before what could have been a catastrophic crash. The control tower, nearly 3,700 feet from the taxiway, cleared both aircraft for the same runway despite dense fog that obscured the pilots' visibility of each other. An animation provided by the NTSB recreated the chilling moment the FedEx plane approached the landing strip to find the Southwest jet preparing for takeoff, as explained in a story by CBS Austin.
Investigations revealed that the Austin airport did not have radar-based surface detection equipment, a technology that could have enabled air traffic controllers to better manage the low-visibility situation. This technology, which is not mandated by the FAA, would help to better track planes on the ground during adverse conditions. However, it's stated that Austin's airport is set to receive this technology by the end of the year. The incident has brought to light the greater need for GPS-based tracking systems across airports to ensure similar events are averted in the future, as pointed out by the NTSB in CBS Austin's coverage of the investigation.
Board member Michael Graham expressed severe criticism towards the actions taken by the Southwest crew and the controller involved that day. "We had two aircraft within 200 feet of each other, and that should not happen," Graham said, emphasizing the gravity of the near-miss. The Facebook investigations underscore that this event stands as a stark reminder and a training opportunity to prevent complacency and always employ the most conservative approaches in aviation operation, a sentiment echoed in remarks made during the NTSB hearing obtained by KVUE.
While audio logs from both planes were automatically deleted two hours after the incident per current FAA regulations, which only necessitate the preservation of two hours of recording, the NTSB had recommended an extension of this requirement to 25 hours back in 2018. The FAA has yet to adopt these changes, according to KVUE. This incident has intensified calls for the implementation of safety recommendations to prevent future occurrences, reflecting concerns about shrinking safety margins in a period when the FAA has indicated that U.S. aviation is safer than ever.
