Posted on 03/20/2026 5:14:58 PM PDT by T.B. Yoits
Feds investigate alarming near miss between Alaska Airlines jet, FedEx plane at busy Newark airport
Federal authorities are investigating after a "close call" was reported Tuesday night at Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey involving a commercial jet and cargo aircraft.
National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) officials confirmed the "close call" happened when an Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 overflew a FedEx Boeing 777 while both jets were attempting to land on crossing runways.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said that, at about 8:15 p.m., an air traffic controller instructed Alaska Airlines Flight 294 to perform a "go-around" because FedEx Flight 721 was cleared for the final approach to an intersecting runway.
A FedEx spokesperson told Fox News Digital that "following instructions from air traffic control, the flight crew of FedEx flight 721 landed safely without incident at Newark Liberty International Airport."
An Alaska Airlines spokesperson told Fox News Digital Alaska Airlines flight 294 was also cleared to land at the airport.
"Air traffic control issued a go-around to our aircraft, which our pilots are highly trained for," the spokesperson said. "We're aware the FAA and NTSB are investigating." DC plane crash site
The incident happened just a year after an Army Black Hawk helicopter collided in midair with an American Airlines passenger plane near Ronald Reagan Washington International Airport, killing 64 people on the American Eagle flight and three aboard the military helicopter.
Newark Liberty International Airport is one of the busiest airports in the U.S., serving tens of millions of passengers annually. As of late, the airport has been plagued by air traffic controller shortages, leading to strained operations and major delays.
FAA and NTSB officials are investigating the incident.
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
Dear FRiends,
We need your continuing support to keep FR funded. Your donations are our sole source of funding. No sugar daddies, no advertisers, no paid memberships, no commercial sales, no gimmicks, no tax subsidies. No spam, no pop-ups, no ad trackers.
If you enjoy using FR and agree it's a worthwhile endeavor, please consider making a contribution today:
Click here: to donate by Credit Card
Or here: to donate by PayPal
Or by mail to: Free Republic, LLC - PO Box 9771 - Fresno, CA 93794
Thank you very much and God bless you,
Jim
It turns out the "Unbound Prometheus" is in fact very much bound by the number of people who are willing and able to keep the system running safely.
Betcha a DEI hire is involved.
The demoncrats are responsible for everything that has happened with airlines and air traffic control.
THEY don’t care as long as their illegal alien voters are left alone and have everything they need for free.
Proof positive that the elections are fraudulent!
The entire aviation industry has been subsidized from the very beginning. Without an overabundance of military veterans for pilots, mechanics, and air traffic controllers, it's non-viable.
The Democrats are contributors to Blue State dumps like Newark, New Jersey, which greatly limits the amount of capable individuals willing to work there.
Flying into D.C. once I saw a airplane that had just taken off as were on a decent to land. The airplane was un-moving just getting bigger. A stewardess happened to be right there at my row and I asked if the pilot was aware we and and another aircraft to starboard appeared to be getting very close.
I said I’m a Boeing engineer.
She immediately rushed forward and seconds later our plane executed a landing abort move.
We circled back around and landed.
It is overworked ATC and mandatory minority hiring
that cause these kinds of problems.
The Great George Carlin pointed out that the phrase “near miss” could be translated as “nearly missed”.......which indicates that they..... hit
“Look, they almost missed.”
“Yeah, but not quite.”
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.