NTSB Investigates Near-Miss Between Regional Jets at O’Hare

Bethany Whitfield

Wednesday, May 25, 2011 at 09:00 PM ET

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Key Takeaways:

The NTSB is investigating a recent near-collision at Chicago O'Hare where two regional jets came within 225 feet vertically and 480 feet laterally.
The incident involved a newly certified air traffic controller and was potentially compounded by distractions from a VIP arrival at the airport.
This near-miss adds to growing concerns about the U.S. air traffic control system, highlighting issues like an increasing number of inexperienced controllers and a rise in reported controller errors.

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The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is looking into an incident in which two regional jets came within just a few hundred feet of each other while crossing paths at Chicago O’Hare International Airport last week.** **

The event occurred around 9:30 a.m. on Monday, May 16, when an Embraer ERJ-145 operated by ExpressJet Airlines was cleared for takeoff on Runway 32L. At the same time, a Canadair CRJ-200 operated by SkyWest Airlines had been cleared to land on Runway 9R, an act that would require the Canadair jet to cross over Runway 32L at low altitude.