Two Southwest Airlines planes came perilously close to colliding near Nashville International Airport on Saturday, prompting emergency evasive action from pilots. Collision alarms sounded in the cockpits of both Boeing 737 aircraft as they closed in on each other, with the closest point of approach being just 500 feet vertically, according to flight tracking site Flightradar24.
The incident occurred around 5.30 p.m. local time when Southwest Flight 507, arriving from Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, was attempting to land in gusty conditions. Simultaneously, Southwest Flight 1152 was departing from a parallel runway en route to Knoxville, Tennessee. Flight 507 aborted its first landing as a precaution, initiating a 'go-around'.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) stated that the crew of Flight 507 subsequently 'received instructions from air traffic control that put the flight in the path of another airplane'. Both flight crews responded to onboard alerts, the FAA said, and both flights completed their journeys safely without further incident.
A spokesperson for Southwest Airlines confirmed the airline is cooperating with the FAA investigation. 'Southwest appreciates the professionalism of its Pilots and Flight Crews in responding to the event. Nothing is more important to Southwest than the Safety of our Customers and Employees,' the spokesperson said.
Despite the near-miss, passengers on other flights were unaware of the drama. One traveller who flew out of Nashville on a Southwest flight an hour later told The Independent: 'I was just drinking my coffee, there were no obvious signs that anything was happening.'
