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Editor: James T. Crouse
Profession: Aviation Accident Attorney

Category: Aviation Safety

Once again two jet liners came dangerously close to each other at JFK airport on Friday, July 11. According to FAA spokeswoman, Laura Brown, a Delta Boeing 757 was arriving at the airport when it executed a "go-around" - normally a routine procedure which is often used during times of heavy congestion around an airport. This time, however, this procedure caused the Delta plane to cut across the flight path of a Comair Bombardier CRJ9 regional jet - - not good.

What is good, however, is the quick reaction by the FAA to order new procedures to avoid this from happening again. . .or something much worse. Of course Frieda is wondering why it took the second incident to cause a change in procedure - wasn't the first near death experience enough? Brown is quoted as stating: We've had two events recently and I think we want to make sure the appropriate safety margins are in place." The term "near death" is Frieda's, not the FAA's. In fact, the FAA is not classifying either incident as a "near collision" because there was no violation standards for how far apart planes can fly - again, according to Brown. Well, Ms. Brown, we aren't talking about planes flying a certain distance apart as in parallel flight, we're talking about one plane crossing the flight path of another, a circumstance that has the word "danger" written all over it!

Dean Iacopelli, a representative for the New York National Air Traffic Controllers Association, said the FAA has "terminated that perpendicular simultaneous approach procedure."

To Frieda this sounds like a "well, DUH!" and questions why it existed in the first place.