In This Story
Two airplanes nearly crashed into each other in Nashville, Tennessee on Thursday. The incident, which featured jets from Alaska Airlines (ALK+0.94%) and Southwest Airlines (LUV-0.85%), occurred while both planes were maneuvering on the runways of Nashville International Airport, CNN reports.
“We’re grateful for the expertise of our pilots who immediately applied the brakes to prevent the incident from escalating,” Alaska Airlines said in a statement provided to Quartz. “We’re deeply sorry for the concerning experience this created for our guests and crew members.” The airline said that its pilots slammed the brakes on their plane so hard that its tires deflated from the heat buildup.
In a statement shared with Quartz, Southwest Airlines said that it “is in contact with the FAA and [the National Transportation Safety Board] and will participate in the investigation” and that “nothing is more important to Southwest than the Safety of our Customers and Employees.”
No injuries were reported in the incident. According to the plane-tracking website FlightAware, both the Alaska and Southwest planes were older-model Boeing (BA-1.91%) 737s. The incident is awkward timing for Southwest, which in July confirmed that it was being audited by the Federal Aviation Administration after a string of eyebrow-raising moments, including a plane flying dangerously close to Tampa Bay in Florida and another flight mistakenly taking off from a runway that had been closed for construction.
“The FAA has increased oversight of Southwest Airlines to ensure it is complying with federal safety regulations through the Certificate Holder Evaluation Process,” the FAA told Quartz at the time.
Correction: A previous version of this story said that the planes collided.