Alaska Airlines flight cancels takeoff in Nashville to avoid collision with Southwest Airlines plane

Updated: 22 hours ago Published: 1 1 day ago

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — An Alaska Airlines plane taking off from Nashville had to make a quick stop on the runway to avoid a possible collision Thursday with a Southwest Airlines plane, and federal agencies are investigating the incident.

The Federal Aviation Administration said the Alaska pilots canceled their takeoff because the Southwest plane had the green light to cross the end of the same runway.

An Alaska Airlines spokesman said the pilots recognized “the potential for a traffic conflict on the runway” and “immediately applied the brakes to prevent the incident from escalating.”

No injuries were reported, but tires on the Boeing 737 Max exploded due to extreme overheating during the stop, according to the Seattle-based airline.

The Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board said they are investigating the crash, which occurred around 9:15 a.m. at Nashville International Airport.

Southwest said it is in contact with the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board and will participate in the investigation.

Alaska Airlines said the flight to Seattle was carrying 176 passengers and six crew members. The plane is being inspected and another plane was being sent to Seattle by Thursday evening, the airline said.

“We are grateful for the expertise of our pilots who applied the brakes immediately to prevent the accident from escalating,” the airline said.

A series of serious accidents or “runway incursions” over the past two years has raised concerns about the safety of air travel in the United States. In November, National Transportation Safety Board Chair Jennifer Homendy said the incidents, while “extremely rare” given the number of flights, showed the aviation system was under strain.

Some of these incidents have been blamed on pilots who failed to follow instructions from air traffic controllers. However, the most horrific incident—in which a FedEx plane flew into a Southwest Airlines flight taking off on a foggy early morning in February 2023—was blamed on air traffic controller errors.

Thursday’s incident comes just days after two Delta Air Lines planes collided on a taxiway at Atlanta’s airport, with the larger plane hitting the tail of a smaller regional jet. No injuries were reported.