- The Delta plane had to abort the flight when an American Airlines plane passed in front of it.
- The FAA said Delta aborted the flight within 1,000 feet of the AA plane.
- Delta passenger Donal Brian Healy told Insider that screams were heard in the cabin.
A Delta passenger said there were screams from his fellow passengers when a Delta plane was forced to abort after another plane passed in front of him on the runway.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said it is investigating an incident involving a Delta Boeing 737 and an American Airlines Boeing 777 at New York’s JFK Airport on Friday night.
Donal Brian Healy, who was traveling on Delta flight 1943 to the Dominican Republic, told Insider that the plane stopped very suddenly two to three seconds after it began accelerating down the runway for takeoff, pushing passengers forward in their seats.
“There were audible echoes, a few screams as the plane first started to slow down, then total silence. I felt a rush of adrenaline knowing it wasn’t normal and not knowing what to expect,” Healy said. “When the plane stopped, I knew we were going to be OK. I thought it was a mechanical thing.”
Healy said the pilot told passengers another plane had passed in front of them, forcing him to abort the flight. He added that the plane took an hour to taxi back to the airport terminal.
After the incident, Healey canceled his flight and Delta issued him a full refund.
In a statement to Insider, the FAA said that a preliminary analysis showed that the Delta flight came to rest on the runway about 1,000 feet from American Flight 106 when it crossed the adjacent runway, and that no one was injured. from the incident.
There was a near miss in the beginning flagged by Twitter user JonNYC.
ABC7 reported that Delta was traveling at 115 miles per hour when it aborted takeoff.
A Delta spokesperson told Insider there were 145 passengers and six crew members on board. The passengers were taken off the plane and given an overnight stay at the expense of the crew before departing on Saturday morning.
“The safety of our customers and crew is always Delta’s first priority. Delta will work and assist with aviation authorities in a complete review of the January 13, 1943 flight related to the procedure for the aborted flight at New York-JFK. We apologize to our customers. for the inconvenience and delay of their journeys,” the representative said.
An American Airlines spokesman said it would defer to the FAA and that its flight departed as scheduled for London’s Heathrow Airport.
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