Charlotte Runway Collision Avoided By Only Ten Feet

A US Airways Express airliner and a small plane almost collided on a runway at Charlotte Douglas Airport and stopped within ten feet of each other. Both planes were cleared to take off on the same runway at the same time, according to the National Transportation Safety Board.

The close call occurred on Friday morning but was not revealed until Tuesday by the NTSB. No one was hurt on either plane.

The NTSB reported that the US Airways Express flight to New Bern was given clearance first, at 10:17 a.m., and had begun its takeoff on the runway. A single-engine turboprop was then cleared to taxi into position farther down on the same runway.

The agency said air traffic controllers canceled takeoff clearance for the US Airways flight after being alerted by a collision-warning system on the ground. The pilot of the smaller plane saw the airliner on a collision course and taxied to the side of the runway, the NTSB reported.

The agency reported that visibility was nine miles at the time of the close call.

The US Airways Express flight was operated by PSA Airlines and had 42 passengers and three crew members aboard.