Narrow Escape: Private Jet Avoids Collision with Southwest Flight

In August 2023, a private jet narrowly avoided collision with a Southwest Airlines plane in San Diego due to air traffic controller distraction. The NTSB investigation highlights errors by the controllers, mitigated by the airport's automated safety system. Such incidents heighten concerns over U.S. aviation safety.

A private jet came perilously close to colliding with a Southwest Airlines plane on a San Diego runway in August 2023, according to a recent National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) report.

Investigators noted that air traffic controllers were distracted, leading to lapses in judgment. The San Diego airport's advanced surface radar system helped avert disaster by alerting the controller to the impending danger, allowing the jet to pull up in time.

This incident is raising alarms about aviation safety, particularly in light of a previous tragic crash involving an airliner and an Army helicopter, and subsequent aviation incidents.

(With inputs from agencies.)