NTSB says a JetBlue captain took off quickly to avoid an incoming plane in Colorado last year

Federal investigators say the tail of a JetBlue plane struck a Colorado runway during takeoff last year when the captain quickly pointed the jet’s nose upward to get airborne and avoid a head-on crash with a plane preparing to land on the same runway. The NTSB said Wednesday that the JetBlue captain pointed the nose of his jet up more quickly than normal “due to his surprise about encountering head on landing traffic.” The crew of the other plane, a Beechcraft King Air 350, was startled when the JetBlue plane announced that it was beginning to taxi on to the runway. The King Air was still more than 9 kilometers from the airport, but closing fast. “I hope you don’t hit us,” the King Air crew said to the JetBlue pilots. The JetBlue captain and co-pilot said they never saw the other plane, but they veered to the right after takeoff to avoid traffic that was detected by the collision-avoidance system on their jet. The NTSB said flight data indicates that the planes were about 4.2 km apart when the JetBlue Airbus A320 began its climbing right turn away from the airport.<br/>