The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating a near-miss collision between a private jet and a Southwest Airlines plane Tuesday morning in Chicago.
Video showed Southwest Flight 2504 nearly touching down at Midway International Airport before taking off again to avoid a jet crossing its path on the runway.
The FAA said the jet entered the runway without authorization, prompting the Southwest crew to initiate a “go-around” to avoid a collision.
The airline confirmed in a statement that the flight landed safely at Midway after the precautionary maneuver.
“The crew followed safety procedures and the flight landed without incident,” Southwest said. “Nothing is more important to Southwest than the safety of our customers and employees.”
Audio from the air traffic control tower indicates that planes were told to hold position at the crossroad as a Southwest flight was attempting to land.
A spokesperson for Flexjet, a luxury private jet service, said it was aware of the incident involving one of its planes.
“Flexjet adheres to the highest safety standards, and we are conducting a thorough investigation,” the spokesperson said. “Any action to rectify and ensure the highest safety standards will be taken.”
Neither the Chicago Department of Transportation nor the Chicago Department of Aviation immediately responded to requests for comment from NBC Chicago, the station reported.
This is the latest in a recent series of aviation accidents and mishaps that has some travelers unnerved and anxious.
An Australia-bound Delta flight had to return to Los Angeles less than an hour after takeoff Saturday night when smoke was detected in the plane’s galley. A similar incident happened Monday when a Delta flight returned to Atlanta just after takeoff when the crew reported “possible smoke” on the plane.
Earlier this month, a Delta plane flipped upside during landing at a Toronto airport, injuring 21 people.
The causes of the incidents were under investigation.
Last month saw two deadly plane crashes.
Dozens of people were killed in a midair collision between a military helicopter and an American Airlines flight near Reagan National Airport in Washington, D.C. A total of 67 people were killed in the Jan. 29 crash.
Days later, a medical jet crashed near an outdoor mall in Philadelphia, killing all six people on board and a civilian in a car. Another 24 people were injured.
Already-anxious fliers shared that their fears were at an “all-time high” following the incidents, and that flight crews were doing their best to give passengers comfort.
One person shared a TikTok video of a pilot telling travelers before takeoff that he had “no higher calling than carefully and professionally transporting you today.”
“Just please know that my first officer and our flight attendants and myself place your safety and responsibility of carrying you to Miami to your families or vacations or your meetings at the highest level,” the pilot said.
