Delta Flight Aborts LaGuardia Landing At The Last Second To Avoid Private Jet Taking Off

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A Delta Connection regional jet had to abort its landing at LaGuardia Airport (LGA) after a private jet took off from an intersecting runway without permission from air traffic control. Delta Air Lines flight DL5415 — operated by an Endeavor Air Bombardier CRJ900 — was coming in to land after originating from Omaha Eppley Airfield (OMA).

Flight tracking data shows the jet performed a go-around just moments before it was about to touch down. The near-miss occurred on the afternoon of Wednesday, October 7, and comes several months after the deadly accident involving Air Canada Express flight AC8646, another CRJ900 that collided with an airport fire truck moments after touching down.

Delta CRJ900 Goes Around Seconds Before Touchdown

The incident occurred at around 3:55 PM local time, as the CRJ900 approached Runway 22 from the northeast. At the same time, a NetJets Phenom 300 (operating for ExecJet as EJA398) began its takeoff roll on Runway 13, which intersects with Runway 22. Tracking data shows the Delta jet came within around 100 feet of the runway before pulling up sharply.

It also reveals that both aircraft came within roughly 1,000 feet of each other during the near-miss. The Delta CRJ900 was traveling at around 147 mph (128 knots) before pulling up, while the Phenom 300 was moving at approximately 103 mph (90 knots).

Air traffic control (ATC) recordings courtesy of LiveATC.net show that the private jet flight crew mistakenly believed they had been granted takeoff clearance. After the tower had finished issuing instructions to another flight, the ExecJet pilot replied, "Roger that," before declaring, "Cleared for takeoff, Runway 13." After the private jet had departed, the ground controller subsequently told the ExecJet pilot:

"I believe you were never cleared for takeoff, sir. You were cleared to line up and wait."

ATC Recordings Confirm Private Jet Was Not Cleared For Takeoff

The ExecJet pilot disputed the controller's claim, stating that he believed "we got cleared for takeoff." He added that they had been told about a United flight ahead of them and the associated wake turbulence. The controller responded that he had never even mentioned wake turbulence before informing the pilots of a possible deviation and giving them a phone number.

An analysis of the ATC exchange shows the private jet was ordered to line up and wait, but was never cleared for takeoff. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), which is investigating the incident, has since issued a statement that the ExecJets plane "departed on an intersecting runway without air traffic control authorization."

The FAA has yet to publicly disclose the severity of the incident. Its runway incursion scale ranges from Category D, which covers events with no immediate safety consequences, to Category A, involving serious incidents in which a collision is narrowly avoided. Simple Flying has reached out to Delta and NetJets for more information on this incident, and will update this story accordingly.

Another Runway Incident At LaGuardia Airport

Last week's close call adds to a difficult year for LaGuardia following the crash of Air Canada Express flight AC8646 on March 22. The CRJ900, operated by Jazz Aviation, collided with an airport truck on Runway 4 moments after landing. Both pilots were killed, and dozens of other people were injured.

The NTSB's preliminary report stated that the truck had been erroneously cleared to cross the runway while the regional jet was on short final. LaGuardia's Airport Surface Detection Equipment had also failed to alert controllers of the impending collision, partly because the airport's emergency vehicles were not fitted with transponders.

It was later reported that two LaGuardia controllers had left their shifts around an hour early on the night of the crash, leaving just two other controllers in the tower to manage unusually heavy traffic and a separate emergency on the ground.