NTSB -- NTSB INVESTIGATING NEAR COLLISION OF JETLINER AND SMALL PLANE OVER AIRPORT IN CALIFORNIA

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NTSB ADVISORY

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National Transportation Safety Board

Washington, DC 20594

April 23, 2010

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NTSB INVESTIGATING NEAR COLLISION OF JETLINER AND SMALL

PLANE OVER AIRPORT IN CALIFORNIA

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The National Transportation Safety Board has opened an

investigation into the near collision of a commercial

jetliner and a small private plane at the intersection of

two active runways at Burbank’s Bob Hope Airport in Southern

California.

At about 10:58 a.m. PDT on April 19, Southwest Airlines

flight 649, a Boeing 737-700 (N473WN) inbound from Oakland,

carrying 119 passengers and a crew of five was landing on

runway 8 while a Cessna 172, in the departure phase of a

“touch and go” on runway 15, passed over the 737. A “touch

and go” is a practice maneuver in which an aircraft briefly

lands on the runway before accelerating and becoming

airborne again.

According to the Federal Aviation Administration, the

airplanes came within 200 feet vertically and 10 feet

laterally of each other at the runway intersection. No one

was injured in the incident, which occurred under a clear

sky with visibility of 10 miles.

NTSB investigator Betty Koschig, an air traffic control

specialist based in Washington, is traveling to Burbank

today to begin the investigation.

Improving runway safety has been on the NTSB's Most Wanted

List of Safety Improvements since 1990:

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NTSB Media Contact: Peter Knudson

202-314-6100

peter.knudson@xxxxxxxx

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