Delta Airbus A321 Rejects Take Off After ATC Suggests Learjet Passes Hold Short Line

Simple Flying

By Steven Walker

Published Apr 3, 2023

The Delta Air Lines Airbus A321 was departing from New Orleans en route to Salt Lake City when the incident took place.

Photo: Delta Air Lines

A Delta Air Lines flight was forced to reject its take-off after another aircraft came close to passing the runway's hold-short line. The Airbus A321 was operating Delta Air Lines flight DL1482 from New Orleans (MSY) to Salt Lake City (SLC) when the incident took place on March 31st. The other aircraft in question was a Learjet.The Delta Air Lines aircraft had reached a speed of 143 mph when the crew received instruction from air traffic control (ATC) to abort their take-off. They immediately rejected the take-off, and stopped approximately 1,500 meters (4,920 feet) down the runway. The Airbus A321 then vacated the runway, with the intention of returning to the holding point, but it returned to the apron instead, following maintenance and brake temperature checks.Nobody is believed to have been injured on either aircraft, although the Delta Air Lines flight was canceled, with the aircraft remaining on the ground in New Orleans for a further 21 hours before departing again. This also led to the aircraft's following sector, from Salt Lake City to New York (JFK), being canceled.In response to the incident, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said,

"An air traffic controller canceled the takeoff clearance for Delta Air Lines Flight 1482 after a Learjet landed at Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport and made a wrong turn onto a taxiway. The Learjet never crossed the hold-short line. The controller canceled the takeoff clearance for the Delta Airbus A321 out of an abundance of caution. This incident occurred around 7:45 p.m. local time on March 31."

One of the passengers took to Twitter to express their shock at the incident:

Delta Air Lines and the Airbus A321

The aircraft operating the flight is registered as N342DN. According to data from ch-aviation.com, N342DN was delivered new to Delta Air Lines in March 2018, and has since accumulated over 15,000 flying hours.

Photo: Delta

The aircraft is one of 127 Airbus A321s in Delta Air Lines' fleet, each seating a total of 191 passengers in a two-class configuration - 171 in economy class and 20 in business class. The airline also operates 25 of the newer Airbus A321neo, and has a further 130 on order.

A series of near-misses

This is one of a series of near-miss incidents that have taken place, and reminiscent of the American Airlines Boeing 777 and Delta Air Lines Boeing 737 that almost crossed paths at New York JFK earlier this year.

Photo: Eric Salard via Wikimedia

The FAA has subsequently put a plan in place to address the issue and has sent out a memo to airlines and airports underlining the importance of vigilance in ensuring a safe operation. This particular event in New Orleans highlights the importance of timely and clear communication from ATC to aircraft crews.