Probable cause of near-collision at Austin airport revealed

Lina Portman4 weeks ago

0 4 minutes read

An Austin air traffic controller's belief that a plane would take off early, in addition to not knowing the exact location of the plane due to fog and lack of training on low visibility situations at the airport, were some of the likely causes of a near-collision between FedEx and Southwest Airlines planes at the Austin airport last year.

These findings come from the National Transportation Safety Board's summary of its investigation into a near collision between the two planes on February 4, 2023, when the planes came within 150 feet of each other, endangering the lives of 128 people.

The summary, which was presented Thursday to the National Transportation Safety Board, includes the investigation's findings, the probable cause of the incident and recommendations to prevent additional near misses. The final report is still being written and will be published in the coming weeks.

What happened?

The report reveals that the controller, Damian Campbell, gave the green light for the Southwest plane to take off from Runway 18L while also instructing the FedEx plane to continue landing on the same runway at the International Airport. Austin-Bergstrom.

Campbell believed, based on his previous experience working with Southwest Airlines, that when the crew requested clearance to take off, the plane was already lined up on the runway and ready to take off. However, the aircraft was approximately 550 feet from the starting position.

Due to heavy fog that day, Campbell was unable to see the location of the Southwest plane when he gave it permission to take off.

By the time the Southwest plane lined up for takeoff, the FedEx plane was 1.5 miles away, a half-mile short of the 2-mile separation required by the Federal Aviation Administration.

The Southwest crew did not inform the controller that they would need more time on the runway – approximately 19 seconds – to complete an engine “run-up” check.

As the Southwest plane sat there, the separation between the two planes kept decreasing. This continued until the FedEx pilots saw the outline of the Southwest plane through the fog and then maneuvered to avoid a collision.

By the time the FedEx pilots saw the Southwest plane, they had already crossed the threshold of the runway and the Southwest plane was more than 1,000 feet down the runway and beginning its takeoff. The shortest distance between the two planes was 150 feet, according to the report.

What was the probable cause of the near collision?

The report said Campbell's “erroneous assumption” that the Southwest plane would take off before the FedEx plane arrived was the likely cause of the incident.

As the findings indicate, Campbell's “erroneous assumption” was due to his “expectation bias” that the Southwest plane was lined up and ready to take off when he gave it permission to take off, on based on his previous experiences working with airlines.

Campbell did not know the location of the Southwest plane when he requested to take off and his lack of training in Austin on low visibility operations were also cited as contributing factors.

The investigation summary says another factor was the Southwest pilots' failure to alert Campbell of their intention to conduct a run-up test while another plane was on final approach. Although crews are not required to notify controllers, the report states that it would have been “prudent” for Southwest to tell the controller since the crew knew the FedEx plane was on the final leg of its landing.

Other causes were the FAA's failure to require surface detection equipment at Austin Airport and warning systems that allow pilots to digitally see a plane on the runway.

The report also cited four factors that were not responsible for the incident: the qualifications of Campbell and the pilots, fatigue of the controllers, air traffic control personnel, and fatigue of the flight crew.

What are the recommendations?

As a result of the investigation, the National Transportation Safety Board made seven new recommendations to the FAA in an effort to reduce future near misses, one of them being to install surface detection equipment in airports such as Austin that are not currently equipped.

In April, the FAA announced it would install a new airfield surveillance system known as the Surface Awareness Initiative at Austin-Bergstrom by July.

Other recommendations were that the FAA notify all controllers of the incident, that pilots notify controllers when they need more time on the runway, and that controllers alert pilots when they cannot see the plane on the runway.

The safety office also reiterated other recommendations it has made in the past, such as equipping planes with cockpit awareness technology so pilots can be alerted to runway traffic and providing Newly built aircraft have a cockpit voice recorder with the ability to record for 25 hours. hours.

Austin adds more safety features

In response to a list of questions about how the FAA is responding to the investigation, the department said its officials “recognize the important role of the NTSB” and are giving any recommendations made by the board “careful consideration.”

“Our top priority is the safety of the traveling public,” the written statement said. “The rate of serious runway incursions during the first three months of 2024 decreased by 59% compared to the same period in 2023, from 0.56 per million airport operations to 0.23 per million operations, and the FAA and the aviation community continue to pursue their efforts. objective of zero serious incidents. »

The agency did not respond to questions about Campbell nor did he immediately respond to a request for comment.

A statement provided by the Austin airport said it “deeply appreciates the attention” of federal agencies and the advocacy of elected officials to provide more security resources.

The airport will receive other new security improvements as part of a $105 billion federal program recently touted by U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas.

The FAA announced in March that the Austin control tower would receive Approach Runway Verification technology, which alerts controllers if a plane is going to land on the wrong runway or at the wrong airport.

Earlier this year, Austin also became the first airport to receive a tower control simulation, which the FAA says is intended to improve safety and speed up the training process.

U.S. Rep. Lloyd Doggett, an Austin-based Democrat who previously called for “swift action” from the FAA following a series of near misses at the Austin airport, said that he appreciated the safety committee's review and that it reaffirmed his beliefs that the lack of safety equipment increases the likelihood of a collision.

Lina Portman

Related Articles

2 firefighters injured in Cosumnes River Boulevard fire near I-5

Suspect in Miami building shooting and intentional fire in custody – NBC 6 South Florida

Man stabbed, brothers arrested during fight at Randall's Island migrant shelter (police)

Suspect wanted in Monday night shooting in Ardmore