JetBlue Pilot Had to Take 'Evasive Action'

JetBlue Flight 206 landed safely in Boston Monday night—thanks to the pilot's "evasive action" the first time they attempted the maneuver. NBC News reports on the close call at Logan International Airport, which occurred just before 7pm. Per a statement from the FAA, the pilot of a Learjet 60 that was preparing to take off was told by an air traffic controller to "line up and wait on Runway 9 while the JetBlue Embraer 190 landed on Runway 4-Right, which intersects Runway 9." Though the Learjet pilot read back the instructions correctly, they "began a takeoff roll instead," forcing the JetBlue pilot to take "evasive action and [initiate] a climb-out as the Learjet crossed the intersection."

It's not the first such near-miss to happen this month: A Southwest plane and FedEx cargo airplane came within less than 100 feet of crashing into each other at the Austin airport on Feb. 4. FAA Administrator Billy Nolen said in a memo released Feb. 14 that "we are experiencing the safest period in aviation history, but we cannot take this for granted." At the time, the agency said it was assembling a safety review team to look into the Austin incident and others, including a January near-miss at JFK. In its probe of the Boston incident, the FAA will determine how close the planes came to each other, WCVB reports. (More Logan Airport stories.)