Two aircraft almost collided at Austin's airport in a previous year, according to the NTSB chairman. He attributed the incident to the air traffic controller's mistake.
"It's not right. We're all human." said Jennifer Homendy, the Chairwoman of the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). "That's why we have technology to provide an extra layer of protection, not only in the control tower, but also in the cockpit of the airplane."
The topic of discussion was one of the nation's closest near-collisions in recent history when dense fog wrapped around Austin-Bergstrom International Airport in February 2023.
The air traffic controllers had cleared the FedEx Boeing 767 for landing on Runway 18 Left and had also granted permission for the Southwest Airlines Boeing 737 jet to taxi and take off using the same runway, as stated by the NTSB.
The FedEx crew realized they were about to land on top of the Southwest plane and requested the Southwest team to halt their takeoff. The FedEx team then called off their landing, successfully averting what might have been a massive tragedy.
This incident occurred during a year where "runway incursions" spiked. The NTSB disclosed earlier this week that a near-collision between two airplanes at John F. Kennedy International Airport in January 2023 resulted from pilots experiencing persistent distractions in the cockpit.
In response to the increasing frequency of such incidents, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) responded with additional controller training and a rare national safety summit. So far, this year, there have been at least seven such critical incidents, classified within the FAA as level A or B.
Of the 23 near-collisions that happened last year, Austin's was the closest.
"Things could've ended in disaster and the loss of 133 lives," Homendy explained to CNN following the board meeting.
Inaccurate mental model of the air traffic controller
During the hearing on Thursday, further information on the near-collision and prevention measures for similar incidents was shared.
The air traffic controller who had approved both flights, Damian Campbell, later reported to NTSB investigators that he "couldn't see anything" on the ground due to the fog.
The NTSB's new evidence shows that when the Southwest pilot relayed their position to the tower, the controller never ascertained the accurate location of the plane prior to approving its takeoff. His wrong assumption was that the Southwest jet could leave the ground before the incoming FedEx jet touched down on the same runway.
However, taxiing and taking off are more time-consuming in adverse weather conditions, and the Southwest plane was on the runway for 19 seconds before departing, performing a required procedure in the adverse conditions, according to the board.
The board concluded the controller had a distorted understanding (inaccurate mental model) and was biased by his past experience with Southwest pilots swiftly departing due to his faith that the Southwest plane could make it in time.
Ultimately, the FedEx plane was less than 200 feet away from landing on top of the Southwest plane before anyone noticed the looming danger. A FedEx pilot stated in an NTSB interview they spotted the silhouette of the Southwest wing appearing through the clouds and quickly withdrew.
The weather in Austin was so foggy that day that the controller later told investigators he was gauging the Southwest plane's engines to determine if it had left the ground. After the FedEx pilot diverted the collision, the controller issued instructions implying they still thought the Southwest jet was on the ground, as per a board member.
"This is not indicative of a secure aviation system. That's not safe," said Homendy.
The NTSB issued seven recommendations on Thursday based on the Austin event, including installing technology at all commercial airports to track the movement of planes and vehicles on the ground. The technology is now only present at a few dozen airports.
The NTSB also called for the FAA to mandate pilots to relay their position often when taxiing in poor visibility conditions.
The board also exposed concerning conditions for the weather station at the Austin airport, although they did not criticize the observer on duty. The windowless weather room has no internet access and no cell phone connectivity. There is an FAA-issued computer but no password to log in.
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The chairwoman, Jennifer Homendy, emphasized the importance of technology to protect both air traffic controllers and pilots, stating, "That's why we have technology to provide an extra layer of protection, not only in the control tower, but also in the cockpit of the airplane." Further, she mentioned during the CNN interview after the incident, "We are all humans, and mistakes can happen. But we need to learn from these incidents and improve our systems to prevent such near-collisions in the future."
