The NTSB is investigating a “close call” between an Alaska Airlines 737 and a FedEx 777 landing at Newark Liberty International Airport on Tuesday evening. The flights had been cleared to land on intersecting runways when it became apparent to the air traffic controller that the Alaska 737 would not land behind the FedEx 777 as planned. The controller instructed the Alaska flight to go around, with the flight at 300 feet and climbing as it passed over the FedEx flight on the intersecting runway. The Alaska Airlines flight landed safely on its second approach.
FedEx flight FX721, a Boeing 777F arriving from Memphis, was cleared to land on Runway 29. Alaska Airlines flight AS294 from Portland was cleared to land on Runway 22L, which intersects with Runway 29. Planned sequencing indicated by air traffic control audio was for the FedEx flight to land ahead of the Alaska flight. ATC cautioned the FedEx flight of the approaching 737 and informed the crew it would land behind them.
During the approach, it became evident that the Alaska Airlines flight would not, in fact, land behind the FedEx 777 with an acceptable safety margin and the Newark tower controller instructed the Alaska flight to “go around.”
Based on granular ADS-B data received and processed by Flightradar24, the Alaska flight arrested its descent as it passed over I-78 and began to climb shortly after. According to the barometric altitude reported by the aircraft as part of the ADS-B data, the Alaska 737 passed above the FedEx aircraft as it climbed from 300 to 325 feet. Investigators will be able to use data from the aircraft’s radar altimeter to make a more precise determination of the height at which the two aircraft crossed.
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