A news report reveals that 3 commuter airplanes were about to collide in midair near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport on Tuesday, and a possible tragedy was fortunately avoided in matter of seconds (scroll down for video report).
The Washington Post (WP) revealed that three US Airways jet aircrafts with 192 passengers aboard approached too much raising the risk of imminent midair collision at about 2 p.m. ET on Tuesday. The incident was confirmed by federal authorities, FAA and US Airways which opened an investigations into what might have caused such a situation.
According to The Post, two outgoing jets received clearance from the traffic controllers who apparently sent them into the direction of an inbound airplane.
Moreover the newspaper quotes also a communications between a pilot and an air traffic controller:“Are you with me?” the tower controller asked the incoming pilot, checking to see whether he was tuned to her radio frequency. When the pilot confirmed, she demanded him to make a steept turn to the south to avert the other 2 jets.
“We were cleared [for landing] at the river there,” the pilot said after breaking off the approach northwest of the airport. “What happened?”
After a pause, the controller said, “Stand by, we’re trying to figure this out.”
As she directed him to make a loop around the airport for a second landing attempt the pilot cautioned: “We really don’t have enough fuel here for this. We have to get on the ground pretty quick.”
In the end all passenger jets arrived safely at their destinations.
Video: Three US Airways passenger jets narrowly averted mid-air collision at Washington Airport
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