The FAA is investigating after a close collision between a small plane and a passenger jet alarmed pilots and air traffic control.
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Federal aviation officials are investigating a close collision between a JetBlue airliner and a small plane near Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport this week, causing concern among air traffic controllers and triggering a collision-avoidance alert in the cockpit of the commercial airliner.
according to flight perceptionOn June 1, JetBlue Flight 1256 was flying from Guayaquil, Ecuador to Fort Lauderdale when the incident occurred.
Air traffic controllers alerted JetBlue crew members to visual flight rules (VFR) traffic in the area, according to cockpit recordings. Radio traffic indicated that airline pilots became concerned when the smaller aircraft appeared to veer off their flight path.
“They’re turning on us,” one pilot can be heard saying on air traffic control audio.
CNN reports that the latest data comes from Flight Radar 24 The two planes are shown to be approximately 500 feet apart vertically and 1.6 miles apart horizontally. The FAA said required separation standards were maintained throughout the encounter.
No injuries were reported.
Air traffic controllers expressed alarm after the encounter.
“That guy is crazy,” an air traffic controller said on the recording discussing the pilot of the small plane. The pilot of the JetBlue plane responded, “I agree.”
Controllers also nicknamed the plane “Mad Max” while warning other pilots flying in the area.
Investigators identified the second aircraft as a Beechcraft 76, a twin-engine aircraft commonly used for training and general aviation operations. The FAA confirmed it has launched an investigation into the incident.
