Title: Pilot Unauthorized Takeoff Leads to Near-Collision in Boston
Author: Julia Musto, Fox Business
Date: August 6, 2023 | 12:24am
A landing JetBlue flight was forced to initiate a “go-around” after a private jet darted in front of the landing commercial plane in February, resulting in a near-collision. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) released a final report on Thursday stating that the pilot of a charter jet had taken off from Boston Logan International Airport without authorization, causing a “conflict” with the JetBlue flight that had clearance to land on an intersecting runway.
On February 27, a screen grab from JetBlue’s cockpit video captured the moment the Hop-A-Jet aircraft crossed the runway just as the JetBlue flight was approaching to land. The Boston tower controller had instructed the pilot of the charter flight to line up and wait on the runway, while JetBlue Flight 206 had been cleared to land. However, the pilot of the charter flight began the takeoff roll instead, ignoring the controller’s instructions.
The airport surface detection equipment, model X (ASDE-X), alerted the controller to the impending danger, prompting the go-around instructions to JetBlue Flight 206. The JetBlue flight had to abort its landing procedure and resequence for arrival. The closest proximity between the two planes occurred when JetBlue was approximately 30 feet off the ground, nearing the intersection of the runways.
According to the NTSB report, the captain of the Hop-A-Jet flight stated that he heard the air traffic controller telling him to line up and wait before takeoff. However, in his mind, he believed they were cleared for takeoff. The captain also mentioned that the cold temperature in Boston affected him, causing him discomfort due to a stuffed nose.
The Hop-A-Jet flight took off at 6:55 local time and received a message from air traffic controllers during the cruise, providing them with a phone number to contact upon landing. It was only upon landing at Fort Lauderdale Executive Airport, where Hop-A-Jet is headquartered, that the Boston tower informed them they had taken off without permission and caused the JetBlue plane to execute the go-around. The planes passed approximately 400 feet above each other during the incident.
The Hop-A-Jet plane was being operated by the co-pilot, aged 23, who mentioned that the captain had told him they were cleared to take off. The captain, Alvaro Donado, 63, apologized for the incident, stating that he could not understand what happened during the clearance and attributed it to feeling unwell due to the cold temperature. Hop-A-Jet declined to comment on the matter.
The NTSB’s final report serves as a reminder of the critical importance of strict adherence to air traffic control instructions and the potential consequences of unauthorized actions in the airspace. Measures should be taken to ensure that pilots are physically and mentally fit to perform their duties and make critical decisions.
(Note: The news article is fictional and based on the provided content)