NTSB Probes ‘Close’ Call Between Planes At Newark

The pilot of a commuter jet departing Newark Liberty International Airport Thursday can be heard telling air traffic controllers that an incoming Boeing 737 passed “real close” to him in an incident now under investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board.

The close call occurred at a point where two north-south runways intersect with an east-west runway. An air traffic controller can be heard telling the pilot of United Flight 1243, carrying six crew and 155 passengers from San Francisco, to “take it normal, or slightly wider” on his approach to runway 29, the east-west runway.

Soon after, he tells the pilot of ExpressJet Flight 4100, flying an Embraer jet carrying three crew and 47 passengers, to taxi and hold before getting onto runway 4R, heading north, for takeoff.

The ExpressJet pilot is given the go-ahead to start his takeoff roll, but quickly the controller tells the United pilot to “go around,” or climb back up.

The controller says, “1243 go around, traffic off to your left departing.” He then warns the ExpressJet pilot, “traffic off to your right.”

Within seconds the ExpressJet flight continues its takeoff as the pilot tells the tower, “OK yeah, we’ll put the nose down. Yeah, he’s real close.” After the takeoff, the pilot reiterates, “He was real close, sir.”

An official said it appeared the United flight may have been a half-mile away when the ExpressJet cleared the runway intersection — considerably closer than the two-mile separation that is required.

This article appeared in print on page 5 of the April 28th, 2014 edition of Hamodia.