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The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is investigating a reported close call between two Southwest Airlines flights at Nashville International Airport after one aircraft was directed into the path of another during a go-around, officials said.
According to the FAA, the incident happened at about 5:30 p.m. on Saturday as Southwest Flight 507 was approaching the airport and initiated a go-around — a standard maneuver in which a pilot aborts a landing and climbs to make another attempt.
The pilot then “received instructions from air traffic control that put the flight in the path of another airplane” that was departing from a parallel runway. The departing aircraft was identified as Southwest Flight 1152.
Both flight crews responded to onboard traffic alerts, the FAA said, helping the planes avoid a potential midair conflict.
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The FAA is investigating the close call. (iStock)
The agency noted that the information is preliminary and subject to change as the investigation continues.
Southwest Airlines described the maneuver as precautionary and said the pilots were responding to weather conditions at the time.
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Traffic moves through Nashville International Airport on Tuesday, July 25, 2023. (George Walker IV/AP Photo)
“While on approach during gusty winds at Nashville International Airport, the Pilots of Southwest Flight 507 executed a precautionary go-around,” the airline said in a statement. “During the go-around, the pilots complied with instructions from air traffic control and an onboard traffic alert to avoid conflicting with Southwest Flight 1152, which was departing from another runway.”
Flight 507 later landed uneventfully in Nashville, while Flight 1152 continued on to its destination in Knoxville, Tennessee, according to the airline. No injuries were reported.
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A ramp agent directs a Southwest Airlines Boeing 737-800 airplane to a gate. The airline said the pilots followed instructions. (Angus Mordant/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Southwest said it is working with federal authorities as part of the investigation and emphasized that safety remains its top priority.
The FAA has not said how close the two aircraft came to one another or whether any separation standards were breached. However, location data appears to show the planes getting as close as 500 feet (152 meters) apart with one of them flying just over the top of the other plane, according to FlightRadar24, so that would fit the official definition of a near midair collision.
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The investigation comes amid continued scrutiny of near-miss incidents at U.S. airports, particularly those involving aircraft operating on parallel runways, where coordination between pilots and air traffic control is critical to maintaining safe separation.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.