United Airlines planes in near miss above Houston
The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating a near miss involving two jets at Houston George Bush Intercontinental Airport.
The incident took place on May 9, with two United Airlines flights separated laterally by less than a mile, the FAA said.
This follows a similar incident at Newark Airport which came to light last week, fueling a change of rules for take-off and landing at that airport.
In the Houston incident, “the controller issued instructions to both pilots to safely separate the aircraft,” according to a FAA statement.
Both planes had recently taken off and the near miss occurred around two miles from the airport.
United flight 601 was departing for Vancouver at the same time as flight 437, headed for Mexico City.
According to news reports, the Vancouver-bound flight was instructed by air traffic controllers to turn right in error, putting the planes on a direct path to each other.
FAA officials said the air traffic controller quickly realised the mistake and directed both planes to separate.
The near miss happened at 9:38 pm local time, and “the FAA has taken steps to prevent any similar occurrences in the future,” officials said.
United Airlines spokeswoman Jennifer Dohm said both aircraft correctly operated according to their air traffic clearances.
by Ray Montgomery, Editor TravelMole US
Bev
Editor in chief Bev Fearis has been a travel journalist for 25 years. She started her career at Travel Weekly, where she became deputy news editor, before joining Business Traveller as deputy editor and launching the magazine’s website. She has also written travel features, news and expert comment for the Guardian, Observer, Times, Telegraph, Boundless and other consumer titles and was named one of the top 50 UK travel journalists by the Press Gazette.
Vegas’s Billion-Dollar Secrets – What They Don’t Want Tourists to Know
Visit Florida’s New CEO Bryan Griffin Shares His Vision for State Tourism with Graham
Chicago’s Tourism Renaissance: Graham Interviews Kristin Reynolds of Choose Chicago
Graham Talks with Cassandra McCauley of MMGY NextFactor About the Latest Industry Research
Destination International’s Andreas Weissenborn: Research, Advocacy, and Destination Impact
Graham and Don Welsh Discuss the Success of Destinations International’s Annual Conference
Graham and CEO Andre Kiwitz on Ventura Travel’s UK Move and Recruitment for the Role
Brett Laiken and Graham Discuss Florida’s Tourism Momentum and Global Appeal
Graham and Elliot Ferguson on Positioning DC as a Cultural and Inclusive Global Destination
Graham Talks to Fraser Last About His England-to-Ireland Trek for Mental Health Awareness
Kathy Nelson Tells Graham About the Honour of Hosting the World Cup and Kansas City’s Future
Graham McKenzie on Sir Richie Richardson’s Dual Passion for Golf and His Homeland, Antigua
ADS PRO 
United Airlines to be the sole US airline to fly to Bangkok and Ho Chi Minh City from October
Japan to increase visa fees to a level similar to the ones charged in Europe and the USA
Airbnb eyes a loyalty program but details remain under wraps
Qatar Airways offers flexible payment options for European travellers
Digital Travel Reporter of the Mirror totally seduced by HotelPlanner AI Travel Agent