NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — An airliner loaded with passengers was forced to slam on the brakes during takeoff last week from Nashville International Airport to avoid a collision with a single-engine plane that had crossed into its path, NewsChannel 5 has learned.
ATC radio transmissions and flight data reveal that Delta Airlines Flight 2724, an Airbus A-321, was cleared by controllers to take off for Minneapolis-St. Paul just after 10 a.m. Thursday. That’s when a controller spotted a single-engine Piper Cherokee, which had landed on the same runway just minutes before, turning back in front of the Delta jet.
“Delta 2724, cancel takeoff clearance,” a controller urgently called out, according to radio traffic archived on the LiveATC.net website.
Seconds later, the Delta pilot responded, “Alright, we are canceling takeoff.”
A NewsChannel 5 viewer whose boyfriend was on the flight relayed that “he said it was a hard stop.”
This incident marks the second time in less than a year that an airliner has been forced to make an emergency stop during takeoff from Nashville International Airport to avoid a collision with another plane.
Related: Air traffic controllers expose stresses of workload inside Nashville tower
Last September, an Alaska Airlines aircraft was disabled when its tires deflated after it suddenly braked to avoid hitting a Southwest Airlines jet that controllers had mistakenly turned into its path.
That incident remains under investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board.
In the case of last week’s incident, it is not clear how close the Delta flight came to colliding with the small plane or exactly who was responsible for the incident.
But radio traffic shows a controller immediately blamed the pilot of the Piper Cherokee, which had flown into Nashville from Greeneville, Tennessee, in the eastern part of the state.
“That small aircraft there was supposed to take a right turn on Kilo,” the controller explained to the Delta crew, referring to the designation for a taxiway that crosses Runway 20R.
Instead, the controller continued, the Piper Cherokee “made a left there.”
The air traffic controller expressed his appreciation to the Delta flight crew for their quick response.
“It’s been an eventful morning. I appreciate the stop there. Way to be aware. Thank you.”
On Monday, the Federal Aviation administration confirmed the incident in a written statement: "Air traffic control cancelled the takeoff clearance for Delta Air Lines Flight 2724 at Nashville International Airport because another aircraft was crossing the same runway. The FAA is investigating the event that occurred around 10:05 a.m. local time on Thursday, July 10."
Delta Airlines also acknowledged the close call.
“On July 10, Delta’s flight crew followed established procedures to suspend the takeoff of Flight 2724 from Nashville to Minneapolis-St. Paul due to potential traffic at the intersection of two runways,” Delta said in an email statement Sunday afternoon.
“The flight departed shortly after without incident.”
Delta continued, “Nothing is more important than the safety of our people and customers, and we apologize to our customers for their experience.”
Radio traffic indicates that, as the small plane landed on a southerly heading, the pilot had been instructed: “Left turn, Kilo.”
Then, when he apparently missed the turn for the taxiway, a controller told him, “You can proceed down the runway. There will be a left turn at Bravo 2.”
As the single-engine plane taxied back toward the Kilo taxiway, this time heading north, a right turn would have taken the pilot to the part of the airport that services general aviation.
It’s not clear from the archived radio recordings whether air traffic controllers gave the pilot new directions as he attempted to make his way across the airfield, nor is it clear whether he ever acknowledged the directions given to him by controllers.
NewsChannel 5 Investigates reached out to the Rogersville businessman listed in FAA records as the owner of the Piper Cherokee for comment, but we have not heard back.
Do you have information for my investigation? You can email me at phil.williams@newschannel5.com.