alaska air was at the center of a near-miss at Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey around 8: 17 p. m. ET Tuesday, when an Alaska Airlines 737 and a FedEx 777 cargo plane came dangerously close while attempting to land on intersecting runways. Radar data from FlightRadar24 indicates the Alaska aircraft was ordered to go around seconds before touchdown while the FedEx jet continued its landing. The Federal Aviation Administration has called go-arounds a “routine safety procedure” and said it is investigating, with the National Transportation Safety Board also referenced by Alaska Airlines as involved.
What happened at Newark, minute by minute
The incident unfolded as the Alaska flight arrived from Portland, Oregon, and the FedEx aircraft arrived from Memphis, Tennessee, based on FlightRadar24 data. Air traffic control instructed the Alaska plane to go around just seconds before it would have touched down, when the aircraft was about 150 feet in the air, using air traffic control audio and FlightRadar24 data referenced in the same account.
At the same time, the FedEx cargo plane continued its landing on the intersecting runway. Preliminary FlightRadar24 data shows the Alaska plane cleared the FedEx plane by roughly 300 to 325 feet.
Immediate reactions from FAA, FedEx, and Alaska Airlines
The FAA described go-arounds as a “routine safety procedure” and stated it is investigating the event. Alaska Airlines also said it was aware that both the FAA and the NTSB are investigating and that further information would come from those agencies.
FedEx, issued Thursday afternoon, said: “Following instructions from air traffic control, the flight crew of FedEx flight 721 landed safely without incident at Newark Liberty International Airport Tuesday. Please direct further questions to the FAA. ”
Alaska Airlines, also in a Thursday afternoon statement, said: “On Tuesday, March 17, Alaska Airlines Flight 294 was cleared to land at Newark Liberty International Airport. Air traffic control issued a go around to our aircraft, which our pilots are highly trained for. We’re aware the FAA and NTSB are investigating, and any further information would come from those agencies. ”
Expert view: intersecting runways and timing pressure
Michael McCormick, identified as a former vice president of the FAA, said the issue came down to the challenge of managing two intersecting runways. “It is a challenge for a tower controller to try to get that timing perfect it doesn’t always work and that’s what happened in this case, so the tower controller waited and unfortunately in my opinion too long and they had to send the aircraft on a go-around, ” McCormick said.
Radar data indicated the Alaska jet’s clearance over the FedEx aircraft was measured in hundreds of feet, sharpening attention on controller timing and the safety buffer created by the last-second instruction.
Quick context on recent airport safety concerns
The Newark near-miss comes two weeks after a Singapore Airlines plane clipped its wing with the tail of a parked Spirit Airlines plane on March 3. In that case, the planes were in an area where air traffic controllers do not control traffic.
What’s next in the investigation
With the FAA investigation underway and the NTSB referenced by Alaska Airlines as part of the review, the next developments are expected to come from those agencies, including any findings tied to runway operations and controller decision-making. For now, the key confirmed sequence remains the same: alaska air Flight 294 was instructed to go around at about 150 feet, the FedEx jet continued landing, and FlightRadar24 preliminary data placed the separation at roughly 300 to 325 feet at Newark.
