FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Federal aviation officials are investigating a close encounter between a JetBlue passenger jet and a smaller aircraft near Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport this week that prompted concerns from air traffic controllers and triggered a collision avoidance alert in the cockpit of the commercial airliner.
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According to FlightAware, JetBlue Flight 1256 was approaching Fort Lauderdale from Guayaquil, Ecuador, on June 1 when the incident occurred.
According to cockpit recordings, air traffic controllers alerted the JetBlue crew to nearby visual flight rules (VFR) traffic operating in the area. Radio communications indicate the airline pilots became concerned when the smaller aircraft appeared to be turning toward their flight path.
One pilot can be heard in air traffic control audio saying, “They’re turning toward us.”
CNN reported that the latest data available from Flight Radar 24 showed the two planes were around 500 feet away from each other vertically and were 1.6 miles away from each other horizontally. The FAA said required separation standards were maintained throughout the encounter.
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No injuries were reported.
Air traffic controllers expressed alarm following the encounter.
“That guy’s insane,” one air traffic controller was heard saying in recordings while discussing the pilot of the smaller aircraft. The pilots of the JetBlue plane responded, “I agree.”
Controllers also referred to the aircraft by the nickname “Mad Max” while warning other pilots operating in the area.
Investigators identified the second plane as a Beechcraft 76, a twin-engine airplane commonly used for training and general aviation operations. The FAA confirmed it has opened an investigation into the incident.
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