'Stop, stop stop!' - Air traffic controller averts disaster
Just because you’re flying a plane doesn’t mean you don’t have to pay attention to give way signs.
A quick thinking air traffic controller was the only thing standing between a potentially devastating collision between two passenger jets at a US airport earlier this week.
Southwest flight 3828 had been cleared for takeoff at Chicago’s Midway Airport on at about 7.40pm local time on Tuesday when another plane with a similar call sign, Delta Air Lines 1328, also began rolling down an intersecting runway.
The planes were throttling up to full speed and were just 2000 feet from collision when at air traffic controller shouted, “Stop, stop, stop”, narrowly avoiding a high speed crash.
Listen: Air traffic controller steps in
Audio of the radio conversation reveals the tense moment and proves exactly how critical air traffic controllers are to the safety of millions of travellers around the world.
The United States’ Federal Aviation Authority is investigating the incident.
