UPS plane aborts landing as jet nears runway: “What are you doing?”
A UPS plane was forced to abort its landing after a Labcorp plane approached the runway at Kentucky’s Louisville International Airport. fatal cargo plane crash last year.
A Labcorp plane was on the taxiway and was told to stop near runway 17 to allow a UPS plane to land. The Labcorp pilot agreed, but the plane then moved slightly beyond the short hold bars, setting off alarm systems at the air traffic control tower.
The tower ordered the Labcorp aircraft to stop, which it did. The UPS plane, which was about 125 feet above the ground, was told to go around.
“What are you doing?” An air traffic controller can be heard asking the Labcorp pilot in audio obtained by CBS News.
“I’m sorry about that,” the Labcorp pilot is heard responding.
Data from aircraft tracking site FlightRadar24 shows that the Labcorp plane did not actually enter the runway at all.
In another audio recording, the pilot of the UPS plane is heard telling air traffic controllers that they were unable to communicate with the Labcorp pilot and were planning to go around even before the order.
“And everyone can go home at night,” an air traffic controller said.
UPS said in a statement that the pilot acted “in accordance with standard procedures” and that the incident had “no operational impact.”
The Federal Aviation Administration said UPS and Labcorp planes maintain “appropriate separation.” According to the FAA, the incident occurred around 12:10 local time on Tuesday.
The incident is the latest in a series of events near miss Appears at US airports nearly five months after UPS cargo plane crash during takeoff in louisville, killed 14 peopleIncluding the three pilots on board.
