(CNN) According to the Federal Aviation Administration, air traffic controllers prevented a departing private jet from colliding with a JetBlue flight as it landed in Boston Monday night.
The FAA says it is investigating the incident. This is the fifth close call by a commercial airliner on a runway this year.
The two planes involved in Monday night’s apparent close call at Boston Logan International Airport came within 172 yards of a collision, according to Flightradar24’s preliminary review of the data.
When asked to comment on Flightradar24’s analysis, the agency told CNN, “The FAA will determine the closest proximity between the two aircraft as part of its investigation.”
‘JetBlue 206, go around’
“According to a preliminary investigation, the pilot of a Learjet 60 took off without clearance as JetBlue Flight 206 prepared to land on an intersecting runway,” the FAA said in a statement Tuesday.
“JetBlue 206, go around,” said the controller at the Boston Logan tower, according to recordings archived by LiveATC.net.
The FAA says the air traffic controller told the Learjet crew to “line up and wait” on runway 9 as the JetBlue Embraer 190 approaches the intersecting runway 4 on the right.
“The Learjet pilot clearly read back the instructions, but instead began a takeoff roll,” the FAA said in a statement. “The pilot of the JetBlue aircraft undertook an evasive maneuver and began to climb out as the Learjet crossed the intersection.”
Other recent raids
The National Transportation Safety Board tells CNN it has not launched an investigation into the Boston Logan incident, though it did investigate four other runway incursions involving commercial jets at major US airports this year.
On Friday, the agency announced it was investigating a possible “runway incursion” in Burbank, California, involving Mesa and SkyWest regional jets.
Three other incidents have occurred this year at Honolulu, Austin and New York’s JFK airport.
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