'That Was Close,' Says Pilot Of Delta Flight With 295 On Board After Near Miss At Boston Logan

By Joe Lombardi From Daily Voice

A Delta Air Lines flight carrying 284 passengers and 11 crew members narrowly avoided a collision with a smaller aircraft at Boston Logan International Airport.

The near miss occurred around 4:15 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 30, when air traffic control instructed the Delta flight to perform a go-around — a last-minute maneuver to abort a landing — because the Cape Air flight was cleared to take off from an intersecting runway, according to a statement by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

“This was close,” the Delta pilot said over the radio after successfully avoiding the other plane. The pilot of the Cape Air flight responded, “What the heck?”

Delta Flight 263, an Airbus A330-900neo on a transatlantic flight from Paris, had been diverted to Boston due to weather conditions at its original destination, New York’s JFK Airport. 

As the Delta plane approached Logan Airport, Cape Air Flight 548 was cleared for takeoff from an intersecting runway.

To avoid a potential collision, air traffic controllers instructed the Delta crew to execute a go-around. A go-around is a standard aviation procedure in which a pilot aborts a landing, ascends, and repositions the aircraft for another approach.

The Delta flight safely executed the maneuver and landed without incident shortly afterward. None of the 284 passengers or 11 crew members on board were injured.

“Delta Flight 263 was instructed by air traffic control to execute a go-around procedure,” a Delta spokesperson said, according to a report by CBS News. “The crew followed established procedures and landed safely without incident.”

The FAA is investigating the incident to determine how close the two planes came to one another and whether proper safety protocols were followed. 

This incident highlights the complexities of operating at busy airports like Boston Logan, which has intersecting runways and high traffic volume. It also comes amid growing concerns about air traffic control staffing shortages caused by a government shutdown.