'1328, stop, stop stop!' Desperate shout of air traffic controller who averted disaster after TWO planes loaded with passengers tried to take off at once at US airport
- Delta Air Lines and Southwest Airlines planes had similar flight numbers
- Collision avoided after air traffic controller shouted over the radio to stop
- Both planes came to a halt about 2,000ft short of the runway intersection
US aviation authorities have launched an investigation to find out how two planes loaded with passengers narrowly avoided a high-speed collision at a Chicago airport.
Planes belonging to Delta Air Lines and Southwest Airlines had similar flight numbers and began to take off at the same time on intersecting runways at Chicago Midway International Airport.
Disaster was averted after an air traffic controller shouted over the radio for one of the pilots to stop, said aviation officials.
Planes belonging to Delta Air Lines and Southwest Airlines were involved in a near miss at Chicago Midway
Investigators with the Federal Aviation Authority are looking into Tuesday night’s near miss, which saw both planes stop about 2,000ft short of the runway intersection.
Audio posted on the website LiveATC.net and reviewed by the Associated Press revealed the frantic moment an air traffic controller recognised the danger.
According to the FAA, Southwest flight 3828 to Tulsa, Oklahoma had been cleared for take-off and was speeding down the runway as Delta flight 1328 to Atlanta was beginning to proceed on the intersecting runway without proper clearance
It was at that moment a controller shouted ‘1328, stop, stop, stop!’ to the Delta flight crew.
With a calm voice the pilot advised the control tower that the plane was stopping, and the aircraft were directed to different taxiways.
Confusion over similar-sounding flight numbers is under investigation as the cause of the close call, which occurred as the planes were operating at full take-off power, the Chicago Tribune reported.
This file photo shows Delta Air Lines and Southwest Airlines planes taxiing at an airport
Southwest spokesman Brian Parrish told the Associated Press that its plane safely aborted its take-off and later continued on to Tulsa.
Delta spokesman Morgan Durrant said the airline was cooperating with the investigation but he could not provide any information on what might have led to the runway mix-up.
In the air traffic audio, the controller tells the pilots that they keep answering for each other, suggesting confusion.
The Southwest pilot later asked whether his aircraft was the one cleared for take-off.
‘Yes sir, you were,’ the controller responded. ‘You were the one. You were doing what you were supposed to be doing.’
According to SeatGuru.com, Southwest’s Boeing 737-700s have a capacity of 143 passengers, while Delta’s fleet of Boeing 717-200s can hold 110 passengers.
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