San Diego Runway Incident Tied to Controller’s ‘Poor Judgment,’ Report Finds

NTSB also cites supervision lapses that led to loss of separation between Southwest 737 and Citation.

Ryan Ewing

Tuesday, September 30, 2025 at 03:00 PM ET

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Edited By:

Travis Tingle

Aircraft in San Diego [Shutterstock]

Key Takeaways:

The NTSB's final report on an August 2023 runway incursion at San Diego International Airport cited "poor judgment" and oversight lapses by air traffic control as the cause.
The incident involved a Southwest Airlines Boeing 737 holding for departure and a Cessna Citation cleared to land on the same runway, leading to a loss of required separation.
Investigators determined the local controller prioritized unrelated tasks, and the operations supervisor focused on troubleshooting a faulty printer instead of overseeing active operations.
Although the airport's ground radar system triggered alerts, the aircraft came within 100 feet, though no injuries or damage occurred.

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The National Transportation Safety Board has released its final report on a runway incursion incident at San Diego International Airport (KSAN) in August 2023, citing “poor judgment” and oversight lapses by air traffic control as the cause.

According to the report, Southwest Airlines Flight 2493, a Boeing 737-700, was holding in position for departure on Runway 27 when a Cessna Citation was cleared to land on the same runway. The airport’s ground radar system, Airport Surface Detection Equipment Model-X (ASDE-X), triggered both visual and aural alerts warning of the conflict.