Two planes nearly crashed into one another at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York City on Friday.
via People:
Around 8:45 p.m. local time, a Delta Air Lines plane was just taking off when “air traffic controllers noticed another aircraft crossing the runway in front of the departing jetliner,” the Federal Aviation Administration says in a statement shared with PEOPLE.
Delta’s Boeing 737 managed to safely stop roughly 1,000 feet “before reaching the point” where an American Airlines Boeing 777 “had crossed from an adjacent taxiway,” says the FAA, adding that it is looking into the incident.
Audio of the moment was captured by LiveATC, which monitors flights and shares communications, and was shared by a flight watcher on Twitter.
In a clip, one traffic controller is heard saying, “S—! Delta 1943 cancel takeoff plans!”
Roughly 30 seconds later, the controller appears to let out a sigh of relief before checking on the Delta 1943 flight. A pilot lets the controller know they’re able to get off the runway as the traffic controller guides them to a safe point.
“The safety of our customers and team members is our top priority. We are conducting a full internal review and cooperating with the National Transportation Safety Board in their investigation,” American Airlines tells PEOPLE in a statement.
Delta also tells PEOPLE, “The safety of our customers and crew is always Delta’s number one priority. Delta will work with and assist aviation authorities on a full review of flight 1943 on Jan. 13 regarding a successful aborted takeoff procedure at New York-JFK. We apologize to our customers for the inconvenience and delay of their travels.”
Brian Healy, a Delta passenger, shared his experience of being on the plane and told NBC News, “It was like a split second of panic that resulted in this audible reaction on the plane. I felt the adrenaline and there was total quiet on the plane and then there was relief when the plane came to a stop.”
“There was this abrupt jerk of the plane, and everyone was sort of thrust forward from the waist,” Healy told CBS News. “There was an audible reaction when the brakes happened, like a gasp. And then there was a total silence for a couple of seconds.”
Healy, who was traveling with his husband, added that he found out what really happened while scrolling on Twitter.
“The pilot made the call to only share information on a need-to-know basis, and that was absolutely the right call, because it would’ve been pandemonium,” he told CBS News.
At the time of the incident, the Delta plane, which was going to the Dominican Republic, carried 145 passengers and six crew members. The American plane had 137 passengers and 14 crew members, CBS News reports. Its destination was the United Kingdom.
The Delta flight’s takeoff was ultimately delayed through Friday night, and the airline gave passengers sleeping accommodations, a spokesperson told NBC News.
We’re glad that crisis as averted!
