Heathrow airport near miss

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Last updated: 3:57 am From the Press Association

Heathrow Jets 'Moments From Disaster' From the Press Association Tuesday May 16, 2000 3:57 am

Two British passenger jets came within 100ft of colliding at Heathrow Airport last month, it has emerged.

A British Airways 747 and a British Midland Airbus 321 were moments from a head-on disaster on April 28, reports BBC Radio 5 Live.

Aviation authorities deemed the near-miss so serious that the Air Accident Investigation Branch - the organisation which normally investigates crashes - was ordered to conduct an inquiry.

Industry sources say the incident happened during the middle of the day during a busy period at Heathrow, which was affected by fog.

It is understood that the two aircraft came within seconds of crashing when the 747 attempted to land on a runway being used by the Airbus to take off.

The Heathrow air traffic controller responsible for the planes' movements is reported to be a trainee being overseen by a mentor.

When it was realised that the two planes were on a collision course the landing was aborted, allowing the British Airways jet to take avoiding action.

The AAIB, which usually gets involved in actual disasters like the Korean Air cargo plane crash near Stansted last year, is reported to be preparing a thorough report into the incident.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/Breaking_News/UK/0,2478,182770,00.html

-- Martin Thompson (mthom1927@aol.com), May 15, 2000

Answers

Sometimes it takes a while for a story to appear. Not this incident happened one month ago.

-- Martin Thompson (mthom1927@aol.com), May 15, 2000.

So, they try to shove off the blame for this one on a trainee? Oh, ya! And, the world is flat.

-- Uncle Fred (dogboy45@bigfoot.com), May 16, 2000.

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