NTSB INVESTIGATING RUNWAY INCURSION AND AIRCRAFT SEPARATION INCIDENTS

[NTSB Press Releases <NTSBPressReleases@xxxxxxxx>]

Title: NTSB INVESTIGATING RUNWAY INCURSION AND AIRCRAFT SEPARATION INCIDENTS

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                       NTSB ADVISORY
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National Transportation Safety Board
Washington, DC 20594

August 29, 2008

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NTSB INVESTIGATING RUNWAY INCURSION AND AIRCRAFT SEPARATION
INCIDENTS

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The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating
two runway incursion incidents and an aircraft separation
incident, all of which occurred in the last two days.

In the first runway incursion incident, a commuter jet
narrowly missed a general aviation aircraft during a
nighttime landing at Fresno Yosemite International Airport
in California.  On August 28, 2008, at approximately 9:07
p.m. Pacific Daylight Time, a Piper PA-46 landed on runway
29R.  Before the aircraft had exited the runway, the tower
controller cleared a SkyWest Canadair CRJ2 commuter jet to
land on the same runway. The CRJ2 pilot saw the Piper and
veered to the right side of the runway, missing the aircraft
by an estimated 15 feet, wingtip to wingtip.  The incident
occurred at night with 10 miles visibility.

In the second runway incursion incident, a pilot of a
general aviation aircraft landed on a closed runway at the
Reading Regional Airport/Carl A. Spaatz Field, in Reading,
Pennsylvania.  On August 27, 2008, at about 4:25 p.m. Eastern
Daylight Time, a Cessna 172 landed on runway 18, which was
closed, after receiving a clearance to land on the closed
runway by the tower controller.  The runway had been closed
for approximately four weeks due to construction activity. 
The incident occurred during day with 10 miles visibility.
 
In the aircraft separation incident, two commercial jets
came within 1 minute lateral separation over the Atlantic
Ocean in a non-radar environment where 15 minutes of lateral
separation is required.  On August 28, 2008, at
approximately 6:37 p.m. Atlantic Standard Time, Transaero
flight 554, a Russian Registered Boeing 747-400, and Delta
Air Lines flight 485, Boeing 737-800 en route from New
York's Kennedy Airport to Port of Spain, Trinidad and
Tobago, came within zero feet vertical and 1 minute lateral
separation at an altitude of 33,000 feet about 179 miles
north of San Juan, Puerto Rico.  The Transaero 747 descended
200-300 feet after receiving an alert from its Traffic
Collision Avoidance System (TCAS).

NTSB investigators are responding to each of the incident
locations. 

NTSB Media Contact:  Peter Knudson, (202) 314-6100
peter.knudson@xxxxxxxx

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