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Home » American Airlines » American Airlines Pilot Acts Swiftly To Avoid Disaster After ATC Snafu
American AirlinesNews

American Airlines Pilot Acts Swiftly To Avoid Disaster After ATC Snafu

Matthew Klint Posted onMay 17, 2024May 17, 2024 29 Comments

a green line on a map

An American Airlines pilot is being hailed a hero for his role in averting what could have been a deadly accident in Orlando after a glaring Air Traffic Control error.

American Airlines Pilot Avoids Disaster After Noticing ATC Error

Let’s review what happened:

  • On May 6, 2024 American Airlines flight AA2473 was cleared to take off from Orlando (MCO) to Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW)
  • Moments later, the same air traffic control (ATC) official cleared Frontier Airlines flight F91734 to cross the same runway as it headed toward its gate (it had just arrived from Denver)
  • The AA pilot noticed the runway traffic and rejected takeoff
  • It took several moments for the air traffic controller to realize what was going on and order (redundantly) that the takeoff be aborted
  • The AA plane returned to the gate without even an apology from the air traffic controllers

It’s not just airline maintenance issues that have been in the news. These near misses have been a problem and I fear it will take a disaster (hopefully not on the scale of the Tenerife disaster) for changes to be made.

There’s a shortage of air traffic controllers, who are well-paid, but intensely stressed (few other jobs place so many lives in the hands of one person who cannot afford to make an error). The FAA will not hire any air traffic controller over the age of 31 and these controllers are forced to retire at the age of 56 to avoid burnout.

Some accuse the media of hyping up these incidents. After all, did not the pilot catch the incident and serve as an extra layer of eyes? It’s true that the pilot saved the day here, but what if he just followed instructions? What if the aircraft was out of sight until it was too late?

Bottom line: these sorts of incidents are unacceptable and federal officials better take seriously why these events are occurring before it is too late.


image: FlightAware // Hat Tip: View From The Wing

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About Author

Matthew Klint

Matthew is an avid traveler who calls Los Angeles home. Each year he travels more than 200,000 miles by air and has visited more than 135 countries. Working both in the aviation industry and as a travel consultant, Matthew has been featured in major media outlets around the world and uses his Live and Let's Fly blog to share the latest news in the airline industry, commentary on frequent flyer programs, and detailed reports of his worldwide travel.

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29 Comments

  1. JH Reply
    May 17, 2024 at 11:37 am

    What changes do you propose?

    More humans?

    Older humans?

    Better paid humans?

    Wholesale redesign of airfields?

    Better technology?

    If so, then what technology?

    • Alert Reply
      May 17, 2024 at 6:08 pm

      Less airplanes .

      Less hurrying .

      • JH Reply
        May 17, 2024 at 6:22 pm

        As long as you’re okay with the resulting economic impact…

  2. Lightning1 Reply
    May 17, 2024 at 11:59 am

    The pilot is always the last line of defence. Experience told the captain something wasn’t right and instinctively reacted. I was forced to retire at 65, yet was at the top of my game. Experience needs to be valued in aviation, not retired. You can’t buy Experience, it takes years to develop. Experience is what saved a disaster.

    • Alert Reply
      May 17, 2024 at 6:09 pm

      @Lightning1 … +1 . Thank you for your skill .

    • Doug Reply
      May 18, 2024 at 12:43 am

      at 65, you were well past your “prime” and the fact that you don’t see that is exactly why you were forced to retire… I’m sure you didn’t listen to a thing that whipper snapper in the right seat said either did you?

      • Peter Reply
        May 18, 2024 at 2:23 pm

        Wow Doug, not only are you a bigot due to ageism, you added ridicule to display stupidity as well.

      • Moss Reply
        May 19, 2024 at 8:43 am

        Dougy I think I hear your mommy saying that your peanut butter and jelly is ready. You can always come back to your computer. Be a good boy and go have lunch you need your strength .

  3. ATC Ron Reply
    May 17, 2024 at 2:57 pm

    As a controller, I hope the media continues to keep bringing these errors to light. If the American public knew how many facilities are on mandatory 6 day workweeks in what is considered “one of the most stressful jobs in the world,” they would be shocked. The FAA has created this problem by intentionally under-hiring controllers for years in order to save money. Yes we are “well paid,” but with the rise in salaries all around and ours stagnating, it’s not nearly as enticing as it once was when you consider the burnout and working conditions.

    I would say it’s not fair to compare our jobs to pilots, but the workforce has gotten more and more fed up with stagnating pay and worsening working conditions when we see each major airline give pilots absolutely massive raises. I truly hope as you say it doesn’t take a major incident to change anything.

    • RetiredATLATC Reply
      May 18, 2024 at 8:56 am

      It’s been going on for over a decade and it sucks.

      In 2014 I worked over 800 hours of mandatory overtime. In 2015 I would have worked more than that, but punched out the day I turned 50.

      • ATC Ron Reply
        May 18, 2024 at 1:13 pm

        Most are getting sick of it and just refusing to work OT any more. I’m eligible at 50 so hopefully I’m in the financial situation to be able to get out as soon as that hits

  4. JohnBDiii Reply
    May 17, 2024 at 3:26 pm

    If there’s any appropriate place for AI supplementary assistance, this is one. its all about pattern control and matching.

  5. Mrnonrever Reply
    May 17, 2024 at 7:02 pm

    I salute you Lightening1!

  6. Richard Rizza Reply
    May 17, 2024 at 7:08 pm

    The FAA is busy “protecting” the country from toy airplanes to worry about real ones.

  7. 747always Reply
    May 18, 2024 at 12:35 am

    Meh. Unsafe American skies. What’s new.

    • Gugarat Reply
      May 18, 2024 at 12:53 am

      Typical loser. Sorry your visa was denied

  8. FAKENAME Reply
    May 18, 2024 at 6:00 am

    how about taking a fraction of the money being printed for Ukraine and spending it on ATC here in the USA…

    • Matthew Klint Reply
      May 18, 2024 at 10:04 am

      Despite being a firm supporter of Ukraine, that is a conversation worth having.

  9. Robert Minichino Reply
    May 18, 2024 at 6:30 am

    Why would the plane return to the gate after the pilot refused to take off?

    • Matthew Klint Reply
      May 18, 2024 at 10:04 am

      Who was going to fly it? The captain did not feel prepared to fly afer the incident.

    • jet pilot Reply
      May 18, 2024 at 10:44 am

      I’m not an AA pilot, so I don’t know their specific procedures, but there’s another reason why they might have needed to return to the gate.

      The video claims that the abort occurred around 60 kts, which isn’t considered a high-speed abort, but for a 200,000 lb aircraft is still a lot of energy to dissipate. It’s possible after an abort at that speed that there was a mandatory cool-down period for the brakes.

      The brakes can only absorb so much energy before they stop being effective, or create a serious risk of fire. They must cool below a certain maximum temperature before they’d be safe to make (and possibly reject) another takeoff. In extreme cases this delay can exceed an hour, or require inspections or action from maintenance.

      I have no idea if this is why the aircraft returned to the gate, but it’s a decent possibility.

    • Charley Frias Reply
      May 18, 2024 at 12:03 pm

      After an aborted takeoff, the aircraft requires a maintenance inspection which includes a brake cooling period which is dependent on weight of aircraft and speed at which the abort was initiated.

  10. Patco was right Reply
    May 18, 2024 at 12:19 pm

    In 1981 I was fired as an Air Traffic Controller for going on strike and protesting the exact same conditions that these third generation controllers are complaining about. The more things change the more they stay the same.

    • Peter Reply
      May 18, 2024 at 2:27 pm

      You were fired for violating an OATH not to go on strike against the public safety. You signed and swore that oath. You have no one to blame except your old PATCO union.

  11. Tom Reply
    May 18, 2024 at 2:59 pm

    Wow, can’t believe I’m the only pilot chiming in…

    Anyone heard of the “Duty day?” Imagine you’ve been flying the line most of the day after a 5 am wake up call, and this is the last flight of the day. Flights are running a little late, and we’re in “line up and wait,” mode. Finally cleared for takeoff, and whoa theres another plane on the runway… HIt the brakes, as thrust reversers don’t work at this airspeed, Taxi back to gate, cool down brakes for 1:35 minutes…

    OOPS! By the time we land, my DUTY DAY is exceeded by 9 minutes. Do I risk a 25 year career versus loss of license over an FAA violation? NO, HELL NO!

    • Matthew Klint Reply
      May 18, 2024 at 4:55 pm

      Thanks Tom!

  12. peter binthere Reply
    May 18, 2024 at 5:02 pm

    World is becoming relentlessly and thoroughly more complex, and this is more expensive per person to properly and safely and fairly deal with. Yet persistent ignorance, greed, and hubris shortchange spending on all this complexity. Stop complaining about taxes, cutting regulation and voting for stooges of the needlessly, insanely wealthy.

  13. Tony n Reply
    May 19, 2024 at 6:19 pm

    I’d like to see Mentour Pilot on youtube have a videographic on this soon

    • Tony n Reply
      May 19, 2024 at 6:20 pm

      there are tons of incidents like this on a website called aeroinside

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