An American Airlines flight from Boston aborted its landing at Reagan National Airport in Washington, D.C. Tuesday morning to avoid another plane that was taking off on the same runway, authorities said.
The Federal Aviation Administration said the incident happened at about 8:20 a.m.
“An air traffic controller instructed American Flight 2246 to perform a go-around at Ronald Reagan Washington National (DCA) Airport to ensure separation was maintained between this aircraft and a preceding departure from the same runway,” the FAA said in a statement.
American Airlines described the maneuver to CBS News as a standard go-around.
One passenger who lives in Boston told The New York Times he was already nervous about flying to the D.C. airport because of the deadly plane crash in January involving a Black Hawk helicopter that killed 67 people.
“There was nothing gradual about it,” Itai Vardi told the newspaper about the aborted landing. “It felt like the pilot had to make an emergency maneuver.”
Southwest flight close call in Chicago
Just 90 minutes after the incident in D.C., a Southwest Airlines flight had to abort its landing in Chicago after a close call at Midway International Airport.
Video showed Flight 2504 from Omaha was about to land when a private business jet began taxiing across the runway. The Southwest plane immediately started climbing and flew 250 feet over the private jet, according to preliminary flight data.
Southwest told CBS News that its crew on board the Boeing 737 Max8 performed a “precautionary go-around to avoid a possible conflict with another aircraft that entered the runway.”
