A near collision between a Southwest Airlines Boeing 737 and a FedEx Boeing 767 on a runway in Austin, Texas was caused by a lack of critical safety technology and errors made by an air traffic controller, according to the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). The incident occurred on Feb. 4, 2023, and was one of several close calls that prompted the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to call for an industry-wide safety summit.
The NTSB’s report highlighted poor visibility conditions on the morning of the incident as well as the air traffic control tower’s lack of surface detection equipment for monitoring traffic on the taxiway and runway. The probable cause of the incident was determined to be the controller’s incorrect assumption that the Southwest Airlines jet would take off before the FedEx aircraft arrived, resulting in a loss of separation between the two planes. Contributing factors included expectation bias, lack of situational awareness, and the lack of training on low-visibility operations for the tower controllers.
NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy emphasized the importance of learning from near misses like this one to prevent future tragedies and maintain public confidence in the aviation system. The NTSB called on the FAA to utilize technology to prevent runway incursions and support the humans operating within the aviation system at all levels to save lives. The FAA announced plans to begin installing surface detection systems at some U.S. airports, including Austin, by
