On Tuesday, February 25th, a Southwest Airlines flight narrowly avoided a collision with a private plane while attempting to land at Chicago Midway International Airport.
Video footage captured by a network camera at Chicago Midway International Airport showed that as Southwest Airlines Flight 2504 was approaching the tarmac, a small “Flexjet Challenger” aircraft was positioned in front of the Boeing 737-800 plane, forcing the much larger jet to ascend again to avoid a collision.
A dramatic video circulating on social media depicted the Southwest Airlines plane in a landing position before abruptly pulling up and leaping over the Flexjet aircraft that had already crossed the runway.
A spokesperson for Southwest Airlines stated in a release that the crew “followed safety procedures, and the flight landed safely.”
“For Southwest Airlines, nothing is more important than the safety of our customers and employees,” the statement added.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) mentioned in a statement that “the business jet entered the runway without authorization.” The aviation regulatory agency also mentioned that an investigation into the incident is underway.
In air traffic control audio, the Southwest Airlines pilot can be heard asking the tower, “What happened?”
The audio further revealed that the private jet had been cleared to cross one runway but ended up stopping on another runway that was designated for the Southwest Airlines flight to land on.
A spokesperson for Chicago Midway International Airport did not provide a direct comment on the incident.
According to data from flight tracking website FlightAware, the Southwest Airlines flight took off from Omaha, Nebraska, in the morning and was forced to return to Chicago Midway International Airport shortly after the incident but was still on schedule for arrival.
Leading luxury private jet company Flexjet informed The Independent in a statement via email that they were aware of the incident.
“Flexjet adheres to the highest safety standards, and we are conducting a thorough investigation,” the statement read. “Any necessary actions will be taken for correction and to ensure the highest safety standards are maintained.”