Distracted pilots led to near collision on JFK runway, NTSB says

The landmark near collision last year involving two commercial flights on the runway at New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport was caused by pilots who were repeatedly distracted in the cockpit, according to early findings released by the National Transportation Safety Board. “Interruptions and multitasking led to distractions” of the three pilots in the cockpit of the American Airlines Boeing 777 that erroneously taxied across JFK’s runway 4 Left in front of a Delta Air Lines Boeing 737 that had begun accelerating for takeoff, investigators said. The pilots of the Delta flight aborted their takeoff run following a frantic call from the air traffic controller in the tower. The two planes came within 1,400 feet of colliding, NTSB data released earlier this year found. The January 13, 2023, incident kicked off heightened awareness of similar cases – formally known as runway incursions – involving commercial flights at major airports, triggering at least six other NTSB investigations in 2023 and causing the FAA to convene a rare, daylong safety summit. Story has more.<br/>