FAA Investigates Close-Call Situation at Austin Airport

Two commercial jets—one on takeoff, one on landing—were operating to the same runway.

Meg Godlewski

Monday, February 06, 2023 at 02:52 PM ET

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The FAA and NTSB are looking into the incident as a possible runway incursion. [Credit: Shutterstock]

Key Takeaways:

A potential runway incursion occurred at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport (KAUS) when a FedEx cargo plane, cleared to land, nearly encountered a Southwest flight cleared to depart from the same runway.
The FedEx pilot safely aborted the landing by initiating a climbout, preventing a collision, and landed later after the Southwest flight had departed.
The FAA and NTSB are investigating this incident, which marks the second major runway event in the U.S. in the past month.

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The FAA and National Transportation Safety Board are looking into an incident at a Texas airport that potentially put two airliners on the approach end of one runway at the same time. The event took place on Saturday, February 4, at approximately 6:40 a.m. in relative darkness, as sunrise was not until 7:20 a.m.

According to the FAA, FedEx Express Flight 1432, a Boeing 767, was cleared to land on Runway 18 Left at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport (KAUS). The clearance was received and acknowledged when the 767 was several miles away from the airport.