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Miscommunication in the air nearly led to a head-on runway crash in Colorado last year — but tragedy was avoided after a last-second maneuver by a JetBlue pilot that damaged the plane but caused no injuries.
“I hope you don’t hit us,” the captain of Beechcraft B300 King Air said over the air as it descended towards runway 10 at the Yampa Valley Airport — where JetBlue Airbus A320 was preparing to take off, according to a National Transit Safety Board report published this week.
The report on the near-catastrophe comes at the conclusion of a nearly two-year investigation by the NTSB into the Jan. 22, 2022 incident, during which JetBlue Airways flight 1748 sustained substantial damage in a tail strike avoiding the collision.
The back of the JetBlue plane smashed into the ground as it increased thrust and took off steeply from the runway as the King Air plane came within just 2.2 nautical miles away from the airport, video shows, Fox Business reported.
Both aircraft had coordinated with the Denver air route traffic control center (ARTCC) for their flight plans, as the Yampa Valley airport has no air traffic control of its own, the report found.
The Universal Communications Frequency (UNICOM) operator warned both aircraft about “multiple aircraft” in the skies around the airport.
However, JetBlue believed King Air was much farther away, about “8 or 9 miles out,” and was going to land on runway 10 behind them and decided to continue with take off.
In communications, King Air mentioned both “runway 10” and “runway 28” — but the plane was actually aiming to land on the runway in front of JetBlue.
“About 20 seconds after JetBlue started their take off on runway 10, the flight crew of the King Air asked JetBlue if they were going to do a quick turn-out, to which they replied, ‘yes sir,’” the NTSB report says.
“Concurrent to this conversation, JetBlue’s captain pitched the airplane up, 24 knots before rotation speed, to avoid the approaching King Air and subsequently struck the tail of the airplane on the runway’s surface,” the agency said.
The report found that the captain raised the plane’s nose quicker than normal “due to his surprise about encountering head-on landing traffic.”
The JetBlue plane took off then quickly turned right in the air out of the way of traffic.
After the tail strike, the JetBlue crew continued their departure heading towards Fort Lauderdale Florida before eventually confirming the incident around 16,000 feet.
After climbing roughly another 10,000 feet, they were ordered to land immediately so the plane could be inspected for damage, and diverted to Denver.
The plane suffered “substantial” damages and no injuries were reported.
The NTSB determined the incident was the result of poor communication.
Jessica Roberts is a seasoned business writer who deciphers the intricacies of the corporate world. With a focus on finance and entrepreneurship, she provides readers with valuable insights into market trends, startup innovations, and economic developments.
