Alaska Airlines flight aborts Nashville takeoff to avoid 'potential conflict' with plane on runway
Two days after two planes collided on an Atlanta tarmac, a crisis was averted after the pilot of an Alaska Airlines flight in Tennessee pumped the brakes while attempting to take off from Nashville International Airport (BNA) and narrowly avoided a potential collision with another plane.
According to an Alaska Airlines spokesperson, Flight 369 aborted takeoff at BNA Thursday morning due to a "potential traffic conflict" with a Southwest plane on the runway.
The airline spokesperson said the Alaska aircraft, which was on its way to Seattle, had received clearance for takeoff from air traffic control.
The pilot applied the brakes abruptly, the airline said, which prevented the incident from escalating.
"We’re grateful for the expertise of our pilots who immediately applied the brakes to prevent the incident from escalating. Our pilots train for these situations, and they handled the situation expertly. The crew taxied the aircraft off the runway and close to the terminal, where the tires deflated due to heat buildup from the rapid stop on the runway, as designed," a spokesperson for Alaska Airlines said in a statement.
The airline added that all 176 passengers and crew on board deplaned and made it to the terminal safely.
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"We’re deploying another aircraft to Nashville to transport our guests to Seattle; they’re scheduled to arrive later tonight. We’re deeply sorry for the concerning experience this created for our guests and crew members," the airline said.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) also issued a statement about the incident, adding it was under investigation.
"The crew of Alaska Airlines Flight 369 discontinued their takeoff because Southwest Airlines Flight 2029 was cleared to cross the end of the same runway at Nashville International Airport. The Alaska Airlines crew reported blown tires during braking. The FAA is investigating the incident, which occurred around 9:15 a.m. local time on Thursday," the FAA said.
Alaska Airlines added that no injuries were reported by passengers or crew members.
Officials said maintenance technicians in Nashville are inspecting the aircraft.
The near-miss at BNA comes just two days after a Delta Airbus A350 and an Endeavor Bombardier CRJ900 jet clipped each other on the tarmac Tuesday at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport.
Delta said in its own statement that "the wing of an Airbus A350 taxiing out as DL295 from Atlanta to Tokyo-Haneda made contact with the tail of an Endeavor Air CRJ-900, DL5526 to LaFayette, Louisiana, on an adjacent taxiway, resulting in damage to the tail of the regional jet and the wing of the A350."
Fox News Digital's Greg Norman contributed to this report.