Southwest Flight Aborts Takeoff at 100 MPH to Avoid Collision with Plane That Made ‘Wrong Turn’

YOU NEED TO KNOW

• Southwest Airlines Flight 4996 canceled takeoff on Tuesday, Jan. 27, to avoid a possible collision with another aircraft at San Antonio International Airport.

• The FAA confirmed to PEOPLE in a statement that the plane received its instructions after a smaller plane, the Pilatus PC-12, made “an incorrect turn onto the runway of the Southwest flight.”

• Southwest confirmed the plane later departed for Dallas without any problems

A Southwest Airlines flight was forced to cancel takeoff to avoid a possible collision with a smaller plane earlier this week.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) confirmed to PEOPLE in a preliminary statement that the incident occurred at San Antonio International Airport on Tuesday, January 27, at approximately 1:40 p.m. local time.

According to the FAA, air traffic control “revoked the takeoff clearance” for Southwest Airlines Flight 4996 because “the pilot of a Pilatus PC-12 made an incorrect turn onto the runway of the Southwest flight.” The agency also confirmed that they are currently “investigating the incident.”

The plane was reportedly traveling at 103 miles per hour when it was instructed to abort takeoff, according to the local news outlet. KSAT.

In a recording taken by LiveATC.net and shared excitementThe air traffic controller was heard a few minutes later shouting “St! Cancel takeoff clearance! Cancel takeoff clearance, Southwest!” and directing other flights to “go around”.

Southwest Airlines said in a statement shared with PEOPLE that the plane was in “takeoff motion” when it “safely aborted” the action to avoid “a possible conflict with another aircraft.”

“The plane then departed for Dallas without any problems,” the statement said.

Pilatus is a Swiss aircraft manufacturer that produces a variety of aircraft that can be owned and operated by private individuals. website. PEOPLE reached out to the company for comment but did not immediately hear back.

Southwest Airlines made headlines earlier this week for officially eliminating one of its longstanding divisive policies.

Airline started to allocate seats on its flights This session, which was to begin on Tuesday, January 27, marked the end of the open seating policy it had maintained since its founding. Southwest first announced the change in September 2024 as part of a three-year business plan and began selling assigned seats in late 2025.

Never miss a story — sign up PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter To stay up to date on the best PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling juicy stories.

“Southwest will increase consumer appeal and drive demand through a designated seating model,” the airline previously said in a press release when announcing the change. “Airline passengers now have a clear preference for seat assignment: 80 percent of Southwest Customers and 86 percent of passengers choosing other airlines want assigned seats.”

The statement also noted that “Southwest is flying further than ever before, and seat assignments on long-haul flights are a higher priority.”

Read the original article People