According to the Federal Aviation Administration, an American Airlines flight that was landing at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport made a go-around after an air traffic controller told it to do so to prevent getting too close to another plane taking off from the same runway.
Less than two hours before another airliner trying to land at Chicago’s Midway Airport had to climb back into the sky to escape another aircraft crossing the runway, American Flight 2246 from Boston made the maneuver at approximately 8:20 a.m. on Tuesday. In an email, a Southwest representative stated that Flight 2504 from Omaha, Nebraska, made a safe landing after the crew made a precautionary go-around to prevent a potential collision with another aircraft that had entered the runway. The flight landed safely thanks to the crew’s adherence to safety protocols.
After air traffic control told pilots to perform a go-around to give another aircraft more time to take off, the American flight made a safe and regular landing at National Airport, according to a statement from American Airlines.
American maintains a no-fault go-around policy because, according to the airline, go-arounds can happen almost daily in the National Airspace System and are not considered aberrant flight maneuvers. It is a tool used by air traffic controllers and pilots to support safe and effective flight operations.
Four significant aircraft tragedies have occurred in North America in the last few weeks. Among these are the February 6 commuter jet disaster in Alaska that killed all 10 people on board and the January 26 midair collision at National Airport between an Army helicopter and an American Airlines flight that killed all 67 people on board.
A young patient, her mother, and four other people were on board a medical transport plane when it crashed into a Philadelphia neighborhood on January 31. Seven persons, including everyone on board, were killed in that disaster, while 19 others were injured.
On February 17, a Delta plane flipped and crashed on its roof at Toronto’s Pearson Airport, injuring twenty-one persons.
The Associated Press
