NTSB: Controller at Fault for Takeoff Near Collision

Isabel Goyer

Thursday, January 19, 2012 at 10:29 PM ET

Verified

Key Takeaways:

A near-miss incident at Gulfport-Biloxi Airport involved a Cessna 172 and an Embraer Regional Jet, caused by an air traffic controller clearing both aircraft for takeoff on intersecting runways.
The aircraft narrowly avoided a collision at approximately 300 feet agl with zero vertical separation, deemed a "close call" by the ERJ pilot and ATC officials.
The responsible controller was removed, decertified, retrained, re-certified, and reinstated at the same airport despite a documented "checkered work history."

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The near miss between the 172 and an Embraer Regional Jet at Gulfport-Biloxi (Mississippi) Airport last year was caused by the controller handling the flights, according to the NTSB.

The two airplanes were both cleared to take off, the 172 on Runway 18 and moments later the ERJ on intersecting Runway 14. The airplanes missed each other while at approximately 300 feet agl. Their vertical offset was “0″ feet, according to the report.