An American Airlines plane avoided a crash Tuesday at Reagan Washington National Airport was forced to abort its landing so it would not hit another plane on the same runway.
The incident occurred at around 8:20 a.m. EST, according to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
“An air traffic controller instructed American Flight 2246 to perform a go-around at Ronald Reagan Washington National (DCA) Airport to ensure separation was maintained between this aircraft and a preceding departure from the same runway,” the statement from the FAA said.
The “go-around” maneuver is a “safe, routine maneuver performed at the discretion of a pilot or at the request of an air traffic controller,” the FAA said. The approach aborts a landing and returns the aircraft to a position where it can try to land again.
“American has a no-fault go-around policy as a go-around is not an abnormal flight maneuver and can occur nearly every day in the National Airspace System. It’s a tool in both the pilot’s and air traffic controller’s toolbox to help maintain safe and efficient flight operations, and any assertion that flight 2246’s canceled approach was more than that is inaccurate,” American Airlines said in a statement.
A day earlier, a Southwest Airlines flight narrowly avoided a collision at Chicago Midway International Airport, when a private jet pulled out in front of the Southwest flight was touching down on the tarmac.
The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board (TSB) are investigating the incident.
“We don’t believe that this was an air traffic control issue. It appears this was a failure of the flight crew from Flexjet to listen and abide by the instructions of air traffic control,” TSB Chair Jennifer Homendy told Fox News.