AUSTIN, Texas — Another close call is under investigation in Austin after a small plane unexpectedly entered the path of another plane’s flight.
The incident happened Wednesday morning after the plane got close to an American Airlines flight as it was preparing to land at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport.
The Federal Aviation Administration confirmed a Cessna R182 got in the flight path of American Airlines Flight 2587 out of Chicago. Crews were able to respond to the traffic collision avoidance system alert and issue corrective instructions for the planes to land safely.
According to Flightradar24, the two planes were only separated by about 400 feet as the American Airlines flight almost passed directly over the Cessna. The flight from Chicago had 128 people onboard who were uninjured.
Wednesday’s incident is the latest in a series of scares at the airport. However, the 2024 FAA Reauthorization Act is set to address safety issues at Austin’s airport. It became law in May and gained bipartisan support in both the House and Senate.
The law brings $105 billion in FAA funding and secures the organization’s operations for another five years. It also includes crucial funding for Austin’s airport. After multiple close calls at Austin’s airport, U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz said the funding was necessary after a major incident involving a FedEx plane and a Southwest Airlines flight that nearly collided in Austin in 2023.
This bill also includes about $730 million for the National Transportation Safety Board and its investigative efforts. It also requires black boxes on commercial flights that pilots use to store 25 hours of voice recordings, instead of two.