Officials investigate close call between business jet and Boeing 737 at San Diego airport - Los Angeles Times
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Officials investigate close call between business jet and Boeing 737 at San Diego airport

An airplane with the word "Southwest" on it takes off from a runway.
A Cessna business jet had to abort its landing Friday because a Southwest Airlines plane was still on the runway waiting to depart at San Diego International Airport, FAA officials said.
(Associated Press)
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The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating a close call between a business jet and a Southwest Airlines plane on Friday at San Diego International Airport.

In a statement, the agency said it was investigating a “go-around” incident that happened around noon. A “go-around” refers to when an aircraft aborts a landing.

The Cessna Citation business jet had to abort its landing because a Southwest Boeing 737 was still on the runway waiting to depart, officials said.

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An air traffic controller had initially cleared the business jet to land on Runway 27 and then instructed Southwest Flight 2493 to taxi onto that same runway before departing, the FAA said in a statement. The facility’s automated surface surveillance system notified the controller of the situation, and the controller instructed the pilot of the Cessna to abort its landing.

The FAA said it was sending a team of experts to investigate and determine just how close the aircraft were.

There have been other close calls in recent months, although aviation experts have told The Times it is still safe to fly.

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In February, an incoming flight at Hollywood Burbank Airport was forced to discontinue its landing after an air traffic controller cleared another plane to take off at the same time. In January, two planes managed to avoid a collision after one plane crossed onto a runway just as the other was about to take off at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York.

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