Key Points
Southwest plane pulled up sharply to avoid catastrophic collision
FlexJet 560 ignored control tower's hold short instructions
Incident occurred during Tuesday morning airport operations
FAA investigating unauthorized runway crossing
Southwest Airlines Flight 2504 was Control tower audio obtained by Flightradar 24 captured the private jet, FlexJet Flight 560, being clearly advised to hold short of the airport's central runway and even acknowledging the directions moments before it continued on into danger.
The New York Post reported that the Felxjet 560 was intimidated to hold its pace. The control tower called to the aircraft as it rolled into the path of the fast-approaching Southwest plane, "Flexjet 560, hold short! Flexjet 560!"
"Flexjet 560, your instructions were to hold short of runway 31 centre," the tower said after the danger was narrowly avoided.
The private jet's pilot sounded calm when replying throughout the interaction - but the Southwest pilot was evidently not pleased. "Tower, Southwest 2504, how'd that happen?" Flight 2504's pilot called the tower but received no reply. The Southwest plane circled the airport and then landed about 10 minutes later, data from FlightAware showed ,according to the report in New York Post
Flight 2504 had departed from Omaha, Nebraska, that morning, while the private plane left for Knoxville, Tennessee, a few minutes after the incident and pulled back up into the air after the private jet rolled across its runway "without authorization," the FAA told The New York Post.
The footage from the incident showed the Southwest plane come within feet of touching down, while just yards ahead, the private Challenger 350 jet began to roll across its path.
Southwest Flight 2504 - a Boeing 737 - pulled sharply up to avoid what would have been a catastrophe. Control tower audio obtained by Flightradar 24 captured the private jet, FlexJet Flight 560, being clearly advised to hold short of the airport's central runway and even acknowledging the directions moments before it continued on into danger.
