Last year, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) conducted an investigation into a near collision between a Southwest Airlines Boeing 737 and a FedEx Boeing 767 on a runway in Austin, Texas. The incident occurred on February 4, 2023, and was attributed to a lack of critical safety technology and errors made by an air traffic controller.
The near-miss in Austin was one of several close calls that prompted the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to call for an industry-wide safety summit. The two jets came within 150 feet of colliding after both being cleared to use the same runway. The FedEx crew avoided disaster by performing a go-around and flying over the Southwest aircraft after spotting it on the runway.
Poor visibility conditions on the morning of the incident and the air traffic control tower’s lack of surface detection equipment were highlighted in the NTSB report. The controller’s incorrect assumption that the Southwest Airlines jet would take off before the FedEx aircraft arrived resulted in a loss of separation between the two planes. Other contributing factors included expectation bias, lack of situational awareness, and the tower controllers’ inadequate training on low-visibility operations. The Southwest flight crew also played a role by not informing the controller of the need for additional time on the runway for an engine run-up before takeoff.
NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy emphasized the importance of learning from incidents like these to prevent tragedies and maintain public confidence in the aviation system. The NTSB called on the FAA to implement technology to prevent runway incursions, a recommendation that has been made for decades. The FAA announced plans to install surface detection systems at select U.S. airports, including Austin, by the end of 2025.
The final incident report from the NTSB will be released in the coming weeks to provide further details on the near collision in Austin.