A close call between an American Airlines Boeing 777 and a Delta Boeing 737 aircraft was reported to have occurred at John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) in New York on January 13, 2023.

An event that nearly resulted in a tragedy

A Delta Air Lines Boeing 737 (registration N914DU) was departing for Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, when an American Airlines Boeing 777 (registration N754AN) crossed the same runway. An air traffic controller noticed the American Airlines Boeing 777 jet and forced Delta Air Lines flight DL1943 to abort take-off. The initial report of the incident came from JonNYC via Twitter, according to View from the Wing.

A recording from LiveATC.net revealed an air traffic controller instructing DL1943 to abort take-off. The air traffic controller yelled, “Delta 1943 cancel takeoff clearance”. Subsequently, the Delta Boeing 737 aborted the take-off within two seconds and cleared the runway.

Meanwhile, American Airlines flight AA106, which was scheduled to fly to London Heathrow Airport (LHR), appeared to have not had clearance to cross that runway. According to recordings by air traffic control, the Boeing 777 aircraft was supposed to depart from runway 4L but was holding short runway 31L.

Delta Airlines Boeing 737-900 N930DZ
Photo: Vincenzo Pace | Simple Flying

Simple Flying has asked American Airlines and the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for a comment.

The American Airlines Boeing 777 bound for London Heathrow Airport, in the United Kingdom, took off 20 minutes after the incident occurred. Meanwhile, after aborting its take-off, Delta Air Lines Boeing 737 returned to the gate.

According to passenger Brian Healy, flight DL1493 between New York JFK Airport and Santo Domingo took off 15 hours later.

Get the latest aviation news straight to your inbox: Sign up for our newsletters today.

Rare occurrence

For a safe take-off and landing, pilots must maintain ongoing communication with air traffic controllers and ground crews to avoid a disastrous runway accident.

It is worth noting that runway incidents and accidents may be attributed to a variety of causes, such as pilot or air traffic control error, inadequate runway maintenance, unauthorized movement, and technical malfunction. But while runway collisions are extremely rare, they do still happen occasionally.

The latest runway incident was reported in September 2022, when a Korean Air plane’s winglet came into contact with an Icelandair Boeing 757's tail rudder at London Heathrow Airport, the UK. Although this was labeled as a "minor incident", it was still considered a serious incident.

An American Airlines Boeing 777-300 in the hangar
Photo: American Airlines

Meanwhile, the deadliest runway accident happened when two Boeing 747 aircraft crashed on the runway at Los Rodeos Airport in 1977. The KLM aircraft, as it began its takeoff, collided with the Pan Am aircraft that remained on the runway, leading to the loss of 583 lives.

Sources: LiveATC.net; View from the Wing; JonNYC

  • britishairways_216862008867490 (1)
    New York JFK Airport
    IATA/ICAO Code:
    JFK/KJFK
    Country:
    United States
    CEO:
    Rick Cotton (Executive Director of Port Authority of NY and NJ)
    Passenger Count :
    16,630,642 (2020)
    Runways :
    4L/22R - 3,682m (12,079 ft) | 4R/22L - 2,560m (8,400 ft) | 13L/31R - 3,048m (10,000 ft) | 13R/31L - 4,423m (14,511 ft)
    Terminals:
    Terminal 1 | Terminal 2 | Terminal 4 | Terminal 5 | Terminal 7 | Terminal 8
  • Delta A350
    Delta Air Lines
    IATA/ICAO Code:
    DL/DAL
    Airline Type:
    Full Service Carrier
    Hub(s):
    Boston Logan International Airport, Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, Los Angeles International Airport, Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport, New York JFK Airport, LaGuardia Airport, Salt Lake City International Airport, Seattle-Tacoma International Airport
    Year Founded:
    1929
    Alliance:
    SkyTeam
    CEO:
    Ed Bastian
    Country:
    United States
  • American Airlines Tile
    American Airlines
    IATA/ICAO Code:
    AA/AAL
    Airline Type:
    Full Service Carrier
    Hub(s):
    Charlotte Douglas International Airport, Chicago O'Hare International Airport, Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, Los Angeles International Airport, Miami International Airport, New York JFK Airport, LaGuardia Airport, Philadelphia International Airport, Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport
    Year Founded:
    1926
    Alliance:
    oneworld
    CEO:
    Robert Isom
    Country:
    United States
    Airline Group:
    American Airlines Group
    Region:
    North America
    Loyalty Program:
    AAdvantage