The pilot of the Learjet that took off with out clearance and virtually collided with a JetBlue flight at Logan International Airport over the winter blamed Boston’s chilly temps and a stuffy nostril for the close to catastrophic mistake.
The National Transportation Safety Board has launched its ultimate report on the investigation into the “close call” from February when the pilot of a Hop-A-Jet flight, Learjet 60, took off with out clearance whereas a JetBlue flight was making ready to land on an intersecting runway.
As the Learjet began to takeoff with out clearance, the JetBlue pilot abruptly carried out a go-around to keep away from a collision. The JetBlue aircraft, which had been cleared to land, handed about 400 toes above the Learjet.
“The National Transportation Safety Board determines the probable cause(s) of this incident to be: The Hop-a-Jet flight crew taking off without a takeoff clearance which resulted in a conflict with a JetBlue flight that had been cleared to land on an intersecting runway,” reads the NTSB ultimate report.
The Logan tower controller had instructed the Learjet pilot to line up and wait. The Learjet’s flight crew repeated again the controller’s directions, however they started the takeoff roll as a substitute of ready.
The Learjet pilot, a day after the shut name, instructed investigators that “in his mind, they were cleared for takeoff.”
“I can not understand what happened to me during the clearance,” the pilot wrote within the incident report. “The only thing that comes to my mind is that the cold temperature in Boston affected me, I was not feeling completely well and had a stuffed nose.”
The pilot apologized within the incident report.
While cruising within the air, the Learjet flight crew was instructed to name a telephone quantity from Boston upon touchdown.
A Logan tower controller knowledgeable them that that they had taken off with out authorization and prompted a JetBlue aircraft to execute a go-around, passing about 400 toes above them.
The different Learjet pilot within the incident report wrote, “We were both convinced that we were cleared for takeoff, but that was not the case.”
JetBlue after the incident stated the flight landed safely in Boston after its pilots have been instructed to carry out a go-around by air visitors controllers.
The airline added, “Safety is JetBlue’s first priority and our crews are trained to react to situations like this.”
Source: www.bostonherald.com”