United jet nearly smashes into Black Hawk at John Wayne airport: ‘That was not good’
United jet nearly smashes into Black Hawk at John Wayne airport: ‘That was not good’
A United flight nearly crashed into a Black Hawk at a SoCal airport on Tuesday night, stunning air traffic controllers.
One controller remarked that he would address the incident because “that was not good.”
United flight 589, a Boeing 737-800, was on final approach to John Wayne Airport around 8:40 p.m. and missed a Sikorsky helicopter by a couple hundred feet.
The helicopter had crossed into the plane’s flight path.
The flight came close enough to receive an anti-collision alert or “resolution advisory” from their traffic avoidance system, meaning they were seconds from a crash.
“United 589 just want to clarify here did you get uh… just a traffic call reference to the helicopter or did they restrict your altitude or anything?” the controller asked the flight.
“We had a resolution advisory for United 589, RA,” a pilot responded. “We’re gonna be addressing that because that was not good,” the controller concluded.
162 passengers and six crew were aboard the United flight, which originated in San Francisco.
It’s unclear what the military helicopter was doing in the area or how many passengers it was carrying. Flight data shows the helicopter took off from Long Beach airport.
The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating the incident, they told CBS News. United Airlines is also aware of the incident and issued a statement.
It said: “During final approach to John Wayne Airport in Orange County, pilots on United Flight 589 were advised by air traffic control to watch for a military helicopter flying near the airport.
“They saw the helicopter, and also received a traffic alert, which they responded to by leveling the aircraft. The United flight then landed safely.”
The near-crash comes days after an Air Canada plane smashed into a fire truck at LaGuardia Airport.
The plane hit a rescue truck at the New York’s site late Sunday — killing two pilots and hospitalizing 41 others in a horrific crash that obliterated the front of the jet.
Audio caught an air traffic controller frantically trying to avoid the deadly smash, repeatedly crying out, “Stop, stop, stop, stop!”
He was later heard admitting, “I messed up.”
An American Airlines flight crashed into a military helicopter in Washington, D.C., early last year.
The incident killed 64 people, including military personnel and athletes on a plane coming back from a figure skating competition in Kansas.
It sparked an investigation that resulted in reform for military helicopters flying near airports.
