A Delta Airlines and Unites Airlines flight narrowly missed a collision near Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport over the weekend.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), which is investigating the incident, told PEOPLE in a statement that it nearly happened around 11 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 11, when Delta Airlines Flight 1070 and United Airlines Flight 1724 experienced “a loss of required separation .”
Crews on both planes received “alerts” that “another aircraft was in the vicinity,” and airport air traffic control “issued corrective instructions to both flight crews,” the FAA statement explained. Both planes eventually managed to land safely, the organization announced.
The incident prompted the FAA to launch an investigation into how the passenger planes got so close to each other.
Aerial view of Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport on January 6, 2020.
DANIEL SLIM/AFP via Getty
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The Delta Airlines flight was an Airbus A330-300 coming from Detroit, while the United Airlines flight was a Boeing 737-900 coming from San Francisco, according to local news outlet KPNX. There were 245 passengers on the flights, i.e. 123 passengers and six crew members.
United Airlines said in a statement to PEOPLE that as it prepared to land in Phoenix, the plane received an “automatic cockpit warning to change altitude,” prompting the pilots to act “immediately” and “safely” land the plane. He added that he is cooperating with the FAA in its investigation.
Delta added in a statement to PEOPLE, “Because nothing is more important than safety, Delta flight crews are trained extensively to handle unusual scenarios such as this and follow troubleshooting tips as directed.”
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The incident was photographed by Arizona resident and aviation enthusiast Justin Giddens, who told KTVK: “I was just watching it turn and all of a sudden I saw another plane coming off the left looking like they were in an intersection.”
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“It was a momentary state of panic,” Giddens recalled. “I know how planes should be in formation on approach to Sky Harbor. So the big and small plane look like they are much further apart, [but] it was very, very close.”
Aviation safety expert Cary Grant, who analyzed video of the two planes, told KTVK that “it sounds like the controller was preoccupied with other planes they were checking on the frequency at the same time.”
He added that he thought it was unlikely that a collision would occur due to the clear weather conditions at the time.
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