A flight crew abruptly halted a landing at Hollywood Burbank Airport Wednesday after an air traffic controller cleared another plane to depart ahead of them, according to preliminary information obtained by NBC News.
Mesa Airlines Flight 5826 was about to land at about 7 p.m. at the San Fernando Valley airport when a SkyWest Airlines plane was cleared for departure ahead of them, the Federal Aviation Administration told NBC News in the preliminary statement.
The SkyWest Airlines Embraer E175 was cleared for takeoff on Runway 33. The approaching Mesa Bombardier CRJ900 was less than 1 mile from the runway, the FAA said.
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The Mesa pilot climbed out of the approach as the SkyWest plane departed. The Mesa crew was then instructed by air traffic control to take a course away from the SkyWest plane.
"The Mesa pilot discontinued the landing and initiated a climb out," the FAA said in a statement. "Meanwhile, the SkyWest aircraft continued with its departure, which prompted an automated alert to sound on the flight deck of the Mesa aircraft. The controller instructed the Mesa crew to turn to a course that took it away from the other aircraft."
The FAA is investigating what is the latest in a string of apparent mix-ups at airports around the country that include several near-misses. The FAA's acting administrator has called for an industry safety summit in March to address the incidents.
