FAA Deems American Eagle & Delta Connection Mitsubishi CRJ900s Were “Separated” Despite Flying 725 Feet From Each Other
Summary
- PSA Airlines and Endeavor Airline aircraft were involed in a near-miss incident on July 8.
- The event involved two Mitsubishi CRJ900 aircraft at Syracuse Hancock International Airport (SYR).
- While the PSA Airlines aircraft, which was operating a flight on behalf of American Eagle, was forced to initiate a go-around, the two regional jets safely landed at their respective destinations.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has begun investigating a near-miss incident that involved PSA Airlines and Endeavor Air aircraft at Syracuse Hancock International Airport (SYR), operating flights on behalf of American Eagle and Delta Connection, respectively.
Clearing for takeoff and landing on the same runway
The incident happened on July 8, when the Delta Connection flight DL5421 was departing from SYR on its way to New York LaGuardia Airport (LGA), while the PSA Airlines flight AA5511 was landing at the airport after it had departed Washington Ronald Reagan National Airport (DCA).
Photo: EQRoy | Shutterstock
Both aircraft involved in the incident were the Mitsubishi CRJ900, registered as N555NN (PSA Airlines operating on behalf of American Airlines) and N927XJ (Endeavor Air operating on behalf of Delta Air Lines).
The incident was captured on a car dashboard camera, and the footage was later shared on X, formerly known as Twitter. The two aircraft crossed paths as the PSA Airlines aircraft initiated a go-around while the Endeavor Air was departing SYR.
Meanwhile, air traffic control (ATC) archives indicated that a SYR tower-based controller initially cleared the American Eagle aircraft to land on runway 28. Several moments later, the same controller cleared the Endeavor Air regional jet to take off from SYR, with pilots of the two flights reading back the instructions.
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The investigators noted that the two aircraft were separated vertically by 700 feet (213.3 meters).
Questioning clearance
Shortly after the Endeavor Air aircraft was cleared to depart SYR, the pilot of the PSA Airlines CRJ900 asked who was cleared to take off from runway 28, with the controller instructing the latter airline’s pilots to abort their landing approach and go-around moments later.
Photo: Robin Guess | Shutterstock
In a statement to Simple Flying, an FAA spokesperson confirmed that the regulator has begun investigating the incident. They added that the controller instructed the PSA Airlines CRJ900 to initiate a go-around to separate it from the Endeavor Air jet.
Flightradar24 records showed that the PSA Airlines aircraft descended to 675 feet (205.7 meters) during its initial approach at 11:51 local time (UTC -4), immediately climbing to 1,925 ft (601.9 m) within a minute and turning left off the runway.
The Endeavor Air CRJ900 began climbing at the same time, reaching an altitude of 1,300 ft (396.2 m) at 11:52. The regional jet continued its climb and eventually reached LGA without further incident, while the PSA Airlines flight successfully landed at SYR at 3:59, taxiing to its gate upon landing at the airport.
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Near-miss incidents in the US
While there have been fewer near-miss incidents in the US over the past few months, with the FAA identifying at least 19 near-miss events in 2023, there have been instances where aircraft came close to a collision.
For example, in April, a Swiss International Air Lines (SWISS) Airbus A330-30, registered as HB-JHD, was cleared for takeoff from New York John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) and began its takeoff run. However, three aircraft entered the runway to cross it, forcing the SWISS aircraft to abort its takeoff run.
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Flight LX-17 aborted takeoff seeing three other aircraft crossing the runway after being cleared for takeoff.
