Another incident happened at Boston Logan International Airportwhen an airplane was forced to go around to avoid a collision.
A Delta Air LinesAirbus A330-200 was forced to execute an emergency go-around maneuver on Sunday when a JetBlue aircraft was cleared for takeoff on the same runway, according to The Aviation Herald.
The latest incident occurred around 12:45 local time on October 27, when Delta Flight 59 from London Heathrow approached Runway 33L for landing. However, a JetBlue Airbus A220-300, operating as Flight B6531 to San Juan, was simultaneously cleared for "immediate takeoff" while the Delta aircraft was approximately 1.9 nautical miles from the runway threshold.
JetBlue's aircraft, registered as N3125J, was cleared for an immediate takeoff at 12:42 local time, and the situation escalated. Delta's A330-200 aircraft, registered as N855NW, was about 1.9 nautical miles away, creating a potential conflict. Just 32 seconds later, air traffic control instructed DL59 to go around, a command that the crew acknowledged promptly.
As B6531 began its takeoff roll, DL59 was perilously close, approximately 0.7 nautical miles from the runway threshold. Delta's flight initiated its climb shortly after crossing the threshold. Both aircraft came close—B6531, accelerating at approximately 110 knots while DL59 began its right turn.
According to ADS-B data, the minimum separation between the two aircraft was recorded at 100 feet vertically and 0.89 nautical miles horizontally. Fortunately, DL59 positioned itself for another approach and landed safely about 12 minutes later, while B6-531 continued its journey to San Juan, Puerto Rico, landing without further incident.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said the following in a statement:
"An air traffic controller instructed Delta Air Lines Flight 59 to perform a go-around at Boston Logan International Airport because another aircraft was departing at the same time the Airbus 332 was attempting to land. The event happened around 12:45 p.m. local time on Sunday, Oct. 27. There was no loss of safe separation."
A Delta spokesperson told Aviation A2Z in an email that "Delta Air Lines Flight 59 from Heathrow to Boston performed a go-around per request by Air Traffic Control. The aircraft landed safely without incident and taxied to the gate within 10 minutes of its scheduled arrival time."
This occurrence follows a similar event just days prior, on October 25, when a Delta flight from Fort Lauderdale had to perform a go-around due to another aircraft idling on the runway. The FAA noted that the controller's actions also effectively prevented a loss of separation, underscoring the importance of vigilant air traffic management at Logan Airport.
Delta Air Lines said that the other plane on the runway was taking too long to taxi, and the Delta flight made one loop around Logan before landing safely.
Boston 25 reported that the FAA is conducting an open audit of runway incursion risks at United States airports. While a go-around maneuver isn't uncommon, these incidents highlight the critical role of air traffic controllers in maintaining safety at busy airports and the importance of precise timing in runway operations.
