ARLINGTON, Va. The Federal Aviation Administration said it would investigate after a flight at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport was instructed to cross the runway where another flight was beginning its takeoff.
The JetBlue flight was beginning takeoff on Runway 4 at Arlington, Virginia, airport, outside Washington, D.C., at about 7:41 a.m. Thursday, when an air traffic controller ordered a Southwest Airlines flight to cross the same runway, the Federal Aviation Administration said. He said in a statement. The agency will investigate the incident.
Southwest Flight 2937, bound for Orlando, Florida, took off from the airport at 7:47 a.m., according to FlightAware, which tracks flight activity. JetBlue Flight 1554 was headed to Boston, and according to FlightAware, the flight took off from Reagan National Airport at 1:48 p.m.
JetBlue said in a statement that the flight canceled takeoff due to another plane trying to cross the runway, but no injuries were reported. The plane was inspected before departing for Boston, and JetBlue said it would “work closely with federal officials as this event is fully investigated.” Southwest said in a statement that it is aware of the incident and is “working with the FAA to fully understand the circumstances.”