FAA investigating after ‘close call’ between JetBlue, Learjet at Boston airport

BOSTON — The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating a “close call” Monday between a JetBlue aircraft and a Learjet at Boston’s Logan Airport.

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The JetBlue pilot was forced to take “evasive action” Monday evening to avoid hitting the LearJet, according to WFXT.

The incident happened at around 7 p.m. when the Learjet pilot took off without clearance just as a JetBlue plane was preparing to land, the FAA said in a preliminary review, according to The Associated Press.

Flightradar24 said the two aircraft were about 530 feet apart, according to the AP,

The Learjet pilot was told by an air traffic controller to line up and wait as the JetBlue plane landed, the FAA said, according to the AP.

“The Learjet pilot read back the instructions clearly but began a takeoff roll instead,” the FAA said. “The pilot of the JetBlue aircraft took evasive action and initiated a climb-out as the Learjet crossed the intersection.”

It’s the latest in a series of close calls involving commercial aircraft over the last couple of months, according to the AP. There was one in January at John F. Kennedy Airport in New York, another in Austin, Texas, in February, and a third off the Hawaiian coast in December.