How One Mans Quick Thinking Saved 381 Lives | Logan Airport Incursion

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This is the story of the logan airport runway incursion on the 9th of june 2005, an aer lingus a330 was to fly from boston to shannon in ireland. At the same time A us air 737 was also on the ground at boston and it was bound for philadelphia. The airport at boston is massive. The airport has 6 runways. That day runways 4R and 4L were being used for landing land and runways 15R and 9 were used for departures. Handling all of the traffic is a massive task and so the complex task of controlling everything is split up. In simple terms you had two mini ATCs at the airport: the Boston local east controller was responsible for runways 4R and 9 and the Boston local west controller was responsible for runways 15R and 4L.
On that day the west controller was responsible for aer lingus flight 132 and the east controller was responsible for Us air flight 1170. As the time for departure grew near the aer lingus a330 made its way to runway 15R. At the same time the US air 737 was making its way to runway 9 on the other side of the airport.
At 7:39 pm and 10 seconds the controller gave the all clear for the A330 to takeoff, the pilots of the aer lingus jet started rolling and jst 5 seconds later the east controller cleared the 737 to take off from runway 09. Both jets started picking up speed down the runway. The first officer in the 737 called V1 and then noticed the a330 who was starting to rotate. Something had gone terribly wrong as both jets hurtled towards the intersection. The first officer analysed the situation in them little time that he had. What could be done to avoid a collision? Do they try and takeoff early? Do they try to keep the plane on the ground? Do they hit the brakes? Do they turn the plane into the grass? So many choices yet so little time.
He said to his captain to keep it down, as he pushed the yoke forward. To stop the plane from lifting off. As both planes merged in the intersection the Aer lingus A330 flew above the 737 barely missing it. Once they had passed the intersection the 737 lifted off with no issues the crew of the 737 got on the frequency and told departure control that they had a near miss. A transmission came in from the a330 saying we concur.
The report says that both planes were very close and that is corroborated by an animation that was put out by the NTSB at their nearest point they were just a few hundred feet apart. At the speeds that those planes were traveling at those distances would have been covered in the blink of an eye. The V1 speed for a 737 is about 145 knots. I know that it depends on a lot of factors but lets take 145 as a figure that is representative of the speeds that are encountered during takeoff. At 145 knots you’re covering 244 feet every second. The A330 was even faster as it had already taken off. Had the first officer not had the presence of mind to keep the 737 down then this could have been bad. How bad you ask? Well the 737 had 109 people on board and the a330 had 272 people on board for a total of 381 people. Yeah it could have been bad.
But how could this happen? There are procedures in place to prevent exactly something like this. As we talked about before operations at Boston was split between two controllers: the east controller and the west controller. The west controller was responsible for the A330 and the east controller was responsible for the 737. Now since the runways intersect the controllers need to

[@PavlosPapageorgiou]

I like the idea of winning the superior airmanship medal by staying on the ground.

[@sludge4125]

If the other plane is rotating, lifting off, staying on the ground is simply a no brainer, something a third grader would have done. 🤦‍♂️🤦‍♂️🤦‍♂️🤦‍♂️🤦‍♂️🤦‍♂️🤦‍♂️

[@theadventureinsider]

Exactly, V1 isn't liftoff speed, it's the speed by which you have to proceed with the takeoff attempt. V2 is when you can safely take off, and while you could go longer, it's more dangerous because the plane will try to lift off and you're literally fighting it. For them to be able to keep the plane on the ground while gong full throttle committing to taking off and already past V1 is incredible

[@billythekid3234]

/@@theadventureinsider V3 is your rotate/ takeoff speed. your sure right all the rest.

[@arianebolt1575]

V1 is can't-abort speed, VR is takeoff speed, V2 is minimum climbing speed. They say it's better to be on the ground wishing you were in the air than in the air wishing you were on the ground.

[@therebrand9018]

It is an AIRcraft at end of the day so the medal fits accordingly

[@anthonywalker7817]

I love how you show close calls instead of always disasters, still very interesting

[@greggstrasser5791]

MORE interesting. A plane will crash easy enough. Saving the plane is different.

[@zew1414]

That's a good thing though, I've heard of some people who had to stop watching the tv shows because they were always so depressing and it was effecting them mentally. I thought it was an Onion story but it was legit! Lol so yeah, happy endings are always good to throw in from time to time! And honestly I think the pilots actions adverting disaster is often super impressive! ✌️

[@danquaylesitsspeltpotatoe8307]

Failing the basic part of his job he should be sacked!

[@jonnytheboy7338]

Yes !!! I prefer these

[@mendedimovski7474]

Lla 9p

[@garrettb.-gtmkm9850]

I love Boston airport, but use of converging runways at the same time is an accident waiting to happen on a busy day. This could have been another Tenerife, very close call.

[@greggstrasser5791]

They would have called it “Boston.”

[@SFbayArea94121]

Aer Dingus ☘️

[@VickersV]

@@SFbayArea94121 best

[@tomdavis3038]

Tenerife only has one runway

[@sludge4125]

@@tomdavis3038 Garrett is an idiot. He’s out of touch with reality. The system works. With one exception in the past 20 years.

[@Kris-qr5hw]

Wow, seems like a bad idea to have two controllers for intersecting runways

[@rogerkearns8094]

Yes, but revisit the map, it's not so simple: 15R intersects all three of the other runways, what do you do?

[@MopMaster1809]

But having 1 controller in charge of all 4 runways, or several controllers sharing that control, both seem worse. So either we're stuck with it as is, or this many intersecting runways shouldn't be allowed to be active at once.

[@sludge4125]

Except that the system works, chris. Go back to your crayons and airplane pictures.

[@rogerkearns8094]

@@sludge4125 _Go back to your crayons and airplane pictures._ Tsk, some people on KZbin, needlessly rude, why say things like that?

[@HermanIdzerda]

Intersecting runways.. bad idea.

[@jpoconnor5744]

Another near miss in Boston, roughly in the same era: Seated on the left side of a full Delta 767, we were quite low (but on the glide slope) on final approach not far from the approach end of RWY 33L. I heard and felt the landing gear coming up - while we were still descending - and the engines starting to spool up. In short order, we were pressed into our seats (more than on a normal takeoff or go around) as the pilots tried to build every bit of airspeed and altitude they could find. It was obvious the throttles were as far forward as possible. Knowing the airport layout, I suspected the worst. Sure enough, as I saw RWY 04R-22L cross under us, another large airliner taking off on 22L crossed just under us. There was very little vertical separation and no horizontal separation. In short order we were leveled off and a few minutes later the captain came on the intercom. He was professional though obviously agitated. He informed us the other aircraft was incorrectly cleared for takeoff well after we were cleared for landing… and that after the completion of our flight they would be filing a report with the FAA! Good thing our pilots were alert.

[@kujaneck]

Oooh id love to see a video on this!! Freaking crazy!

[@braderyoutube1983]

wow, another near miss, glad that ur ok !

[@realulli]

I guess one of more of the aviation channels might be interested in some details... e.g. flight number, date, ...

[@oneladiesmancookingforbegi7066]

J P O'Connor : Two 747s collided during takeoff in the Canary Islands. I thought that, by now, the FAA would have Super Computers helping ATC.

[@raylopez99]

@@oneladiesmancookingforbegi7066 Aircraft tech is primitive. Some pilots I know take with them hand held GPS (not on jumbo jets but small Cessnas). Another example: that "5G delayed due to aircraft interference" issue in the USA? It's because the FAA technology is so primitive, has nothing to do with the telephony carriers. Happy flying!

[@briant7265]

Superior airmanship for staying on the ground! Absolutely deserved!

[@Amanda-C.]

That would've been a great thumbnail, though it would have spoiled the tension of wondering how the pilots would react in tha situation.

[@Torrath7411]

I love the irony in that statement. Great job Airmen.

[@sludge4125]

If the other plane is rotating, lifting off, staying on the ground is simply a no brainer, something a third grader would have done. 🤦‍♂️🤦‍♂️🤦‍♂️🤦‍♂️🤦‍♂️🤦‍♂️🤦‍♂️

[@nonna_sof5889]

@@sludge4125 You'd hope, but seconds before a collision it's easy to panic and make the wrong choice.

[@rogergeyer9851]

Yup. In another such video, a pilot didn't take off after passing V1, when he realized the plane WOULD NOT lift. If he'd continued (per the rules), it would have been a high speed disaster. As it was, it was a minor accident with no major injuries and minor plane damage. If we're not going to count on good judgement from commercial pilots, then we should just automate and coordinate the whole thing. Unless equipment fails, well written and tested software, properly designed, would often be far more reliable. For example, it wouldn't skip or not pay much attention to "boring" safety checks and procedures.

[@Dana_Danarosana]

Damn! That's just nuts! HUGE credit to the USAir flight crew! I'd never heard of this incident before... Thank you for sharing it with us!

[@MiniAirCrashInvestigation]

My pleasure!

[@sludge4125]

If the other plane is rotating, lifting off, staying on the ground is simply a no brainer, something a third grader would have done. 🤦‍♂️🤦‍♂️🤦‍♂️🤦‍♂️🤦‍♂️🤦‍♂️🤦‍♂️

[@Teverell]

@@sludge4125 Not easy to make that call at those sorts of speeds, though. Hindsight is always 20/20, and that flight crew made the absolute right choice, though it wasn't the only choice they could have made.

[@5h4dy]

@@sludge4125 🤦🤦they were taking off there were so many things they have to think of. Making the decision in split second under the workload of taking off isn't what a third grader would do. I mean what are you thinking ? You think that airline pilots Association is dumb giving them the awards🤦

[@hostrauer]

@@sludge4125 your plane is already past V1, too fast to stop. You're about to rotate yourself. Will the other plane have climbed enough to pass over you safely? Will the wake vortices knock your plane off the runway? Will you still have enough runway to take off after the intersection, or will your plane end up in the bay? You have three seconds to recognize and process all this information and make a decision, and the lives of hundreds of people depend on you getting it right.

[@kevinbarry71]

10 years ago? Wait until you are 50, then it will seem like 10 minutes ago

[@esphilee]

🤣

[@mandywalkden-brown7250]

You spring chicken you! Wait and see just how rapidly your next decade passes.

[@pickles3128]

Thank you for covering incidents where there are no or very few fatalities or injuries. I find it really gruesome when I see someone comment, "Oh, it's just a Cessna with 5 fatalities? BOORING!" Like they want another Tenerife to happen. I am way more interested in the HOW and WHY of the incidents. It's a fun way to learn about air safety and you don't have to feel badly for lives lost -- or at least so many. I am so glad I won't have to spend the rest of my evening feeling badly for those lives lost in this accident.

[@Milesco]

Yes, my thoughts exactly.

[@Sarah20048]

Well said, same here!

[@TheLastPhoen1x]

"How bad could it have been?" Tenerife bad?

[@TimothyChapman]

I remember hearing about this incident on the news. Had the pilot of the 737 not been paying attention, the FAA would be investigating a debris field instead.

[@dd_ranchtexas4501]

Timothy Chapman: The NTSB does the investigating. Thank goodness they had some time off rather than having to wade through a sea of body parts! Hope we keep pilots up front rather than remote control - which would likely simply rotated the 737 with tragic results.

[@arianebolt1575]

Flaming debris field

[@ma9x795]

No idea how it's done now, but as a British military controller in the 1990s, when on tower control we used to have a large airfield diagram on the desk in front of us, and used labelled counters for the callsigns on frequency. Flight strips were only used downstairs on the radar consoles.We'd move the counters according to aircraft positions and clearances given and as an extra safety measure in our local control we had a lump of metal about the size of a spectacle case, covered in dayglow orange tape that we'd place on the diagram active runway when any aircraft or vehicle was cleared to cross or use it. Not very subtle, but it worked!! :D

[@stevecarter8810]

Can't beat a physical token for resource conflict management. If you take it, no one else can, if you move it, everyone sees it move. Used to use a physical token to manage a software development team before we all went to zoom

[@patheddles4004]

"Not very subtle" is /exactly/ what you want, honestly. Hard to ignore.

[@MendTheWorld]

Yes, but it sounds like the physical models of the airspace used at Bentley Priory in the Battle of Britain! I guess you had some precedent and experience.

[@josephmcdonnell8987]

Bullshit

[@Kickback-dm7zt]

As an Irish man let me say THANK YOU for a video featuring Aer Lingus. 🇮🇪🇮🇪🇮🇪🇮🇪👍👍👍👍

[@nigelmurphy6761]

As a fellow Irish man I agree completely. 🇮🇪👍

[@esphilee]

Can’t imagine what if the first officer of the a330 said “keep it down..” too.

[@tanishcqmehta9984]

:'(

[@theMoerster]

According to the description here, the first pilot saw the other plane was already starting to rotate. So the 2nd plane probably could not have stayed down at that point. Both pilots likely would have come to the same conclusion: That the plane in the air stayed up and the one still on the ground waited to rotate. If both were hitting rotation at the same time, though....

[@sludge4125]

@@theMoerster Exactly. If the other plane is rotating, lifting off, staying on the ground is simply a no brainer, something a third grader would have done. 🤦‍♂️🤦‍♂️🤦‍♂️🤦‍♂️🤦‍♂️🤦‍♂️🤦‍♂️

[@rebeccawoolfolk5377]

This is what I kept thinking. This is why TCAS gives each plane opposite instructions - so they don't both take evasive actions in the same direction.

[@BobbyGeneric145]

Runway Status Lights seem to be the best technology solution to me... Its an automated system that the controller cannot override. If we have red status lights, it doesn't matter if there's not another plane for a hundred miles, we can't take off. This system, in conjunction with the human procedures, seems to be the best at the moment.

[@dayfamily8319]

As an ATC with a CTO with intersecting RW we had a switch we flipped that would cause a red light to illuminate letting the other controller know I was using the RW. I don’t know if that airport had ground radar but that could help with congestion and situational awareness. BZ to the crew to make such a quick decision!

[@cflyin8]

Boston has ground radar now. It likely did not have it in 2005.

[@iidentifyasvaccinated8877]

Do you get good money for that job

[@GFSwinger1693]

@James Hawkins LAX does not have intersecting runways.

[@jm-xh4yz]

I just commented this. I have seen a couple airfields with intersecting runways that imply an 'occupied' switch. The controller trying to activate, if the field is active prior to their activation, sees a red light and hears an audible one second tone for indication. Low tech sometimes overrides high tech when it comes to humans.

[@b33thr33kay]

Yeah, a semaphore system with switches and lights seems like the simplest and most straightforward approach to me. Having to talk to other controllers seems... the opposite. :)

[@roadsage6828]

Wow, they decided to divide the work into two ATCs. So now they don't only have to coordinate with planes but with each other too.

[@davidbeckenbaugh9598]

This is one of my favorite examples of crew management. I have always remembered the 1st officer as saying "I have the airplane" and the pilot saying (with no argument) 'you have the plane' and the first officer holding it down. But MACI has it correctly that the 1st officer told the pilot to hold it down and physically pushed the stick himself. So the real hero is the 1st officer for doing his job and watching what was going on. A lot of pilots just watch what is directly in front of them, but he did not. He was looking around. And the air crew management came into play as the pilot did not argue. THEY TRUSTED EACH OTHER. This reaches all the way back to the Tenerife accident and the lessons learned in crew management. One of the crew in the KLM had not heard them get clearance for take off in the thick fog and asked the pilot if clearance had been given. The pilot said it had been and that was it. YOU DID NOT ARGUE WITH THE PILOT. And two 747's collided on the ground. KLM now has the procedure that any one of the flight crew can abort a take off, no argument. I assume all other companies do, too. I am trying to think what the airline was for the pilot who aborted a takeoff much too late, and the check pilot had STARTED to override him, but trusted him. The elevators had just been serviced and they felt wrong. The pilot felt it when they tried to rotate and KNEW the airplane would not fly. And the check pilot trusted him. Good crew management. By the way, folks, I am NOT a pilot so if I made mistakes, sorry. Please be gentle with your corrections....

[@miriamsamaniego3335]

Tenerife was so horrible and completely avoidable. That pilot took off without clearance because he was so arrogant and wanted his way so they could get out of there before a time constraint made them have to ground the plane for the night. If he hadn’t refueled and held up the runway for an additional 35 minutes, this wouldn’t have happened. That pilot was quite revered where he came from, and the copilot had actually been given his pilot’s license from him, so he deferred to him. Plus the pilot was a bully and treated people like crap and people knew he could easily end their careers if they opposed him. Too bad he ended their lives instead, along with many, many other’s, including his own.

[@davidbeckenbaugh9598]

@@miriamsamaniego3335 Now THAT was a very accurate description of the biggest reason Teneriffe happened. The perfect wording of the worst possible situation.

[@Melanie16040]

That other aircraft with the check pilot. It wasn't recent servicing on the elevators. The aircraft was exposed to wind that while not above the limits, had interacted with a building and resulted in jamming the elevators.

[@davidbeckenbaugh9598]

@@Melanie16040 Oops. Got it confused with another one where the elevators acted in different directions. With all the new channels and info, there are a lot of them out there we can look at. Thank you for your kind correction. Blessings.

[@Melanie16040]

@@davidbeckenbaugh9598 Actually, I'm not sure you did. I think only one side was jammed. The aircraft was N786TW and it happened 8 March 2017 if you want to look it up.

[@TheNewAccount2008]

Great job by the US Air crew. As for the problem: There is a "concrete solution" for that: Don't build intersecting runways. And if you absolutely have to, design the airport in a way that those runways can be handled by the same controller.

[@carlsnyder600]

not building intersecting runways is an essentially impossible constraint for any airport with varying wind directions

[@TheNewAccount2008]

@@carlsnyder600 I agree 100% with you. But most airports (at least around my area) in such cases opt to either only use one direction (or set if there are parallels) at a time, or intersect in a way that arrivals on one runway will per design always stay clear of the other. (Mostly by overlapping close to the beginning.)

[@tonyhancock8479]

FYI. The callsign for Aer Lingus is "Shamrock".

[@bobjohnbowles]

I recall learning how in the early days of train transport drivers had to hand over a baton to the signalman after clearing a section of track, and the signalman could not authorise (hand over the baton to) another driver until then. I believe a more high-tech version of the same thing is still used on the railways. I imagine a similar system would work well at a busy airport.

[@nagitoyup6929]

Still used in some parts of India

[@iansavage1666]

@@nagitoyup6929 and the UK. It's called a token

[@teelo12000]

Er... do they walk back to the signalman to hand it back?

[@milantrcka121]

@@teelo12000 One baton per segment. The opposing traffic will take it back. Without the baton/token the train waits for it.

[@iansavage1666]

@@teelo12000 sometimes yes. Other times they hand it straight to the driver of the waiting train. Happens all the time at my local station where the signal box is right next to the station

[@Ruiluth]

Imo, the two ATCs need some kind of visual console that they can see at a glance and tell what areas are occupied and which are clear. Something like, divide the taxiways and runways into blocks with red and green LEDs. Press a button to turn it from green to red on both consoles. If it's already red, get the other controller to unlock it. And never clear a plane to go into a red section. That's how trains are controlled, and the system works pretty well.

[@AviationNut]

Now most large and busy airports have ground radar so the controller knows exactly where every plane on the ground is and an alarm will sound if two aircraft are on the same runway or taking off/Landing on crossing runways or heading for each other at high speed and yes the radar shows the controller which runways are occupied. So if something like this would happen today an alarm would sound that two planes are takingoff at the same time on crossing runways. In the last 10 years most large busy airports around the world have been very heavily upgraded with state of the art ground radars. It can still happen but only if the ground radar would be down for service and pilots would not be paying attention to runway lights. Now pilots know when an aircraft is takingoff or landing because runway lights tell them when their runway or a runway that's crossing their runway is occupied and they have to hold short till the runway shows cleared, so even if a controller cleared them for takeoff the pilots would not start their takeoff roll because the runway lights would show them that a crossing runway is occupied, there is a lot of safety systems in place now to stop runway incursions. The Runway Status Lights system processes information from surveillance systems and activates Runway Entrance Lights and Takeoff Hold Lights in accordance with the motion and velocity of the detected traffic. ... Clearance to enter, cross, or takeoff from a runway must still be issued by Air Traffic Control..

[@InfestedTemplar]

Exactly what I was thinking. Basically allow each controller to "claim" a runway by hitting a button and require them to do so for all takeoffs and landings before the pilot is cleared. Then if they attempt to claim a runway that intersects with another runway that is already claimed a buzzer sounds etc and they cannot successfully claim it. Perhaps some intermediate step that puts them next in a que such as when a pilot is told to line up on a runway but are not cleared to take off. These provisional claims would be allowed even if the runway intersects another claimed or provisionally claimed runway, perhaps alerting again when a blocking claim is deactivated. Then you just need the standards of runway/taxiway lighting and ground radar to eliminate confusion about directions and discover when mistakes are made.

[@TC_here]

Having active runways intersecting seems like crazy idea, especially when the separation of aircraft relies on communication between two people.. and as we know humans make mistakes. I wonder has any new technology-based safeguards been implemented. Great video ... I' m Irish and had never heard of this incident before this!

[@tomstravels520]

Airbus is working on SURF-A

[@sludge4125]

🤦‍♂️🤦‍♂️🤦‍♂️🤦‍♂️🤦‍♂️🤦‍♂️🤦‍♂️🤦‍♂️ Maybe letting clowns who don’t know WTF they’re talking about make suggestions is a bad idea.

[@GabbieTheFox]

The FAA have come up with a Runway Status Lights system since this incident. Here's a quick video for you: kzbin.info/www/bejne/sH2ufZdtoKyGjKM

[@sahalin12345]

I love Mini Air Crash Investigation cause it`s mini. I don`t always have much time so I`m glad the author gets straight to essence.

[@donnafromnyc]

Thank you Mini! Another forgotten but highly influential incident. And brevity did not hurt your narrative at all. Happy Travels!

[@stephenphillip5656]

We sit in our designated seat on our flight to who knows where & we hope & trust that the professionals in the cockpit will keep us safe. That the split-second decisions of a pilot or co-pilot can mean the difference between arrival & oblivion never crosses our thoughts. Kudos to the crews involved for making the right call on that occasion. I'll still fly!

[@kommandantgalileo]

for the controllers, they should have cameras that directly feed to both ATCs, then they should always check the cameras before clearing aircraft for take off.

[@dayfamily8319]

Cameras are good in VFR but when you are in IFR or the ceilings fall the cameras are inefficient. They should all get ground radar. It being 2022 with GPS there’s no reason to have aircraft in a position to come close to a “near miss”

[@kommandantgalileo]

@@dayfamily8319 yeah ground radar would be great too

[@rogergeyer9851]

@@dayfamily8319: Exactly. GPS and proper programming and automation should basically make any such accidental incursion, much less high speed collision basically impossible. You could have a plane crash into an airport, and MAYBE have a pilot land on the wrong active runway, but software should be able to greatly help re using the wrong runway to land. But on the ground, with proper planning and coordination, it shouldn't be able to happen with modern GPS. If anyone gets in the wrong place, the GPS knows right away and barks clear instructions at the pilots affected.

[@kkfoto]

Cameras would not help in the Tenerife case. A good ground radar system would. In this case, Logan's outdated ground radar did not issue warnings when the two passenger jets nearly crashed. The system was upgraded later, and now all ground vehicles have transponders as well.

[@EdOeuna]

This just shows how dangerous operating airports with crossing runways is and how desperate the airport authority is to have maximum capacity from using 4 runways in this manner.

[@thatguyalex2835]

I feel that AI automation, and radio signals from runway threshold sensors to the pilots that could flash a green "permission to takeoff" notice in the cockpit could help crews takeoff safely on busy runways. Also, LIDAR detectors could be used to detect other nearby planes. However, this tech would be quite pricey, but well worth it in my opinion. Also, the airport should not run at full capacity with crossing runways, sounds too risky. Just goes to show how much the airport wants to get money from the airlines and in extension, the passengers. :( An aspiring engineer here in my 20s, so feel free to critique or support my idea.

[@richcaloggero3424]

Crossing runways just sounds so rediculously stupid! More profit always seems to win in this broken society!

[@ducky8075]

@@richcaloggero3424 It’s literally impossible to make runways not cross and still be able to meet space requirements. Airports would be multiple times bigger if the runways didn’t cross, and airports already are massive.

[@iamReddington]

This is by far one of the most entertaining channels on YT.

[@BillyAlabama]

Your narrative is so nice. If you use a technical word most won’t know you explain it. Your friendly tone makes it feel as though we are all having a private chat with you.

[@F3stigio]

Airport design has advanced a lot in the last decade or so. Layouts of the airfield and additional visual cues to pilots have been implemented to help avoid runway incursions. Runway status lights being one of such systems. Cool stuff!

[@rogergeyer9851]

F3stigio: Good to hear. With modern computer systems, some planning ahead, and a little money (re per ticket over the long term), and GPS, almost all accidental incursions should be completely preventable now. You'd need to get agreement among various airlines and countries to follow a standard that would work in all major airports, though -- and that might be tough to get done.

[@pantherplatform]

Been watching reruns. Finally a fresh episode!

[@rogerkearns8094]

I think I'd sooner have work defusing unexploded bombs than be an air traffic controller.

[@variantloki9478]

This is the first video of yours after I completed watching rest all videos. This channel was so addictive and the Marathon took weeks to complete. 😁

[@hommedterre1]

I am so filled with pride having worked for USAir/USAirways from 1990 to 2001 in Germany. There was such a high degree of professionalism in the staff brought about by the fact that many of the employees were "airliners" by heart who saw what they did as a successful combination of their work and hobby.

[@topg571]

Love your channel!

[@RockmasterVideos]

Great work here. Thanks !

[@TwirlGirl2197]

I appreciate that all of Atlanta’s runways are parallel. Taxiways still cross the runways but having no runways intersect I think could go a long way where possible.

[@riinak7212]

I've flown out of Logan many times, but only after this incident. I'm glad they have more safety checks now! With the current world situation (it's not still on fire) I've not been flying lately but I look forward to soon.

[@Milesco]

@John Smith Covid pandemic, I assume.

[@scoobydo446]

Was great video my friend

[@portuguesnomundo]

Fantastic video my dear ✈️

[@charlesmoss8119]

It is comforting to know the pilots are looking out and maintaining situational awareness rather than fixated on digital readouts. While rare it is moments like this that make me feel less confident in the idea of remote control or single crew flight decks even if technologically they are possible.

[@seraphik]

what an absolute badass that FO was. balls of absolute adamantium.

[@zacharytaylor190]

I had a runway incursion at our local municipal airport when I was doing my night rating. I was coming in for a touch and go with my landing light on and another plane was holding short at the midfield taxiway. He had not confirmed the final approach was clear before entering the runway, and so began taxiing in preparation for a backtrack while I was on the runway applying takeoff power. I was concentrated on the airspeed and the end of the runway that I didn't notice the plane turning onto the runway, so My instructor quickly took control and maneuvered the plane off the runway and away to avoid a collision. Very glad for his quick thinking.

[@N8570E]

Thank you for saying 'good job FAA'. May you and yours stay well and prosper.

[@Liz_678]

👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻. Thank God for smart fast thinking people!!!! Great job

[@jamesturner2126]

SUPERIOR AIRMANSHIP! This was almost another Tenerife incident.

[@las1147]

Imagine sitting in a window seat and seeing another plane on a collision course, absolutely terrifying

[@Joe_P593]

This airport is dangerous. ~15 years ago I was departing Logan on a United flight which had to brake aggressively to avoid a flight landing on the crossing runway. Not sure if it was before or after the near miss in this video. I was in first class at the window and got a good view of the event as we hit the brakes. The planes would not have collided but it was very disturbing to brake suddenly and then see the other aircraft coming in for it's touchdown. Our pilot got on the horn and told us what happened and we then went around for an uneventful take off. We really need to appreciate the outstanding professionalism of all our pilots.

[@ThePrimeMinisterOfTheBlock]

As soon as you said 'two controllers' I knew we were going to have mutual exclusion issues. These are solved problems in computer science

[@richardshiggins704]

Very well explained !

[@aquamanGR]

Nice save! And...what a brilliant decision to split ATC and also split intersecting runways between them....

[@lisaschuster686]

Your best animation ever. Perfect length. Hairy airport from my experience!

[@ryanmorgan4300]

just looking at the map of the airport gives me anxiety. Never knew runways crossing eachother was a thing.

[@JCBro-yg8vd]

That was incredible thinking on the USA Air plane's part, realizing the collision in time to narrowly avert it.

[@marcaber6367]

Possible ATC deviation? This was a gripping incident to listen to! this is the kind of stuff you wouldn't believe if you weren't seeing it, thanks for sharing!

[@RogueWraith909]

Traffic lights on runway edges sounds silly but it might work... especially if they link them so that they CANNOT turn green for go if the other set are already green.

[@waynec917]

That's very similar to the signal system we use on the railroad and it works very well. Although we do occasionally get dispatcher permission to pass a red signal it's with the clear understanding that we are entering a section of occupied track. We must also operate at a speed that permits stopping our train within half the range of vision and short of hitting another train or any other obstruction. I'm not sure if a similar system could be successfully implemented for airports but I think it's a viable enough Idea that the FAA should at least really look into it if they haven't already done so.

[@openphoto]

These renderings are gorgeous. 😻

[@steveluke2395]

In the late 90s I used to fly in and out of this airport almost every week while on a multi-month IT project just outside Boston. The crossing runways ALWAYS bothered me, but I don't recall anything like this happening while I was doing this, or at any of the many other airports I visited during 1997 - 2004. Thank GOD no one was hurt during this. And a special KUDOS to the USAir crew!

[@hellosweden8786]

1) Never build runways that cross eachother. 2) In old airport with crossing runways, same controller has to be responsible for both runways.

[@alex2143]

A lot of airports have runways that cross each other. That is not a problem unless you use them at the same time.

[@nonna_sof5889]

The problem there is it either takes a massive amount of land or all of your runways are going in the same direction.

[@hellosweden8786]

@@nonna_sof5889 Yes, it will require a few acres. That's a low price to pay for saving lives.

[@ducky8075]

@@hellosweden8786 it will require a lot more than a few. It’s not practical, airports already are too big and struggle to expand as it is.

[@dimitarivanov3817]

Another great video. Another like by me. Thank you for your hard work

[@issamelsayd]

Appreciate that you put the text of your video in the description.

[@eugeniustheodidactus8890]

*Well done!* I flew the B737 for USAirways in and out of BOS for many years. Gotta keep your _"eyeballs peeled"_ as my dad used to say.

[@elisam.r.9960]

And I picked that expression up from my dad as well.

[@ryanfrisby7389]

Excellent video! This was truly a disaster averted!

[@sharoncassell9358]

Maybe camera in tower with audible tones to alert ATC of occupied runway or taxiways. Good luck. Be safe.

[@jameshughes1592]

"Is the world still on fire?" Oh boy....

[@karekarenz2395]

Just looking at those converging runway lines on the map, gives me the shivers.

[@GarryAReed]

Good video, thanks ! 👍👍👍👍👍

[@charlotteinnocent8752]

Good flying there!

[@anthonyholroyd5359]

In the railways (my industry) we had to come up with a solution to prevent conflicting movements over a century ago. 'Interlocking' has become a staple of Railway signalling and started with mechanical locks that prevented signals being cleared for conflicting movements and prevented signals being cleared for a train movement unless the points (switches) were also set for that movement. Nowadays it's mostly computerised but on quieter parts of the network mechanical Interlocking is still how we avoid human error by the signaller leading to a derailment or collision.

[@sinjhguddu4974]

Thanks for this terrifying episode. What a miss! I think the simple answer is to install the trusted old fashioned traffic lights at the beginning of each intersecting runway to automatically show the status of the opposite one. This may be augmented with infrared or other suitable indicators for foggy weather.

[@lvl10cooking]

I remember as a kid leaving Washington DC, we were about to take off in a DC10 and started rolling out, when suddenly (not anywhere near V1) we turned off onto a taxiway. I remember looking out the window and seeing a 747 landing on the same runway we were on.

[@BunniTeeth]

It’s so interesting to hear about incidents that happened in my city. I wouldn’t have known about this otherwise!

[@timothy__tt]

I also do like the close calls that you cover.

[@WenbruReviews]

I think that those two did an excellent job. I USED to use Logan a LOT but not generally at night, and I swear I never saw any other aircraft incursion. Is there room to built 1 or 2 runways in that already busy area? For sure more ATC (or specially trained) are needed to handle those flights. Also, the Flight Deck crew need to be made aware of this situation - particularly the Aer Lingus crews who, while excellent, may not have had the full Logan experience☘️. These videos are excellent. Thank you for doing such detailed work and providing such detailed information.

[@paulpickett5007]

Amazing how close this was! Just wondering if there were any wake turbulence issues that made the second take off unpredictable?

[@b.t.356]

As I was watching this video, all I could think was, "Thank goodness for the quick thinking, otherwise this would have been Tenerife 2.0." I also get what you mean about 2005 feeling like it was 10 years ago instead of 17, since I am still trying to wrap my brain around the fact that this September will mark twenty years since I began kindergarten. The award that the pilots got was very well deserved, too!

[@WillaHerrera]

The most valuable combination of 3 words ever spoken in this sequence that saved hundreds of lives and thousands and thousands of friends and family heartache: "KEEP IT DOWN"

[@balajisubbaiah]

A classic case of Murphy, I would say. Glad the lessons have been learnt.

[@razony]

I'm flying out of San Fran next week to the east coast. I didn't need to see this, yet I clicked it on. lol

[@parinpatel5719]

Prime example of how important communication and teamwork is.

[@dodoubleg2356]

The simplest, yet by no means EASIEST fix, like when driving, is just to make sure everyone's payin' attention. Unfortunately we all know that'll never happen though. Enjoyed the vid as always.😉👍✌️

[@Milesco]

But that's not a fix. That was simply the then-current situation -- basically expecting humans never to make any mistakes. You need some kind of a mechanical, foolproof solution.

[@dodoubleg2356]

@@Milesco I understand, which is why I said it's a simple, but "by no means EASY fix," implying that while the concept is SIMPLE, I have no idea 💡 how they could possibly do it which is why I said it wouldn't be an EASY fix, that's all.

[@JeffinTD]

The whole idea of active, intersecting runways managed by different controllers…

[@aggamingaung2632]

Hi I love your videos :D btw what Flight sim do you use cuz it look SOOOOO good

[@anassorbestiak]

It's so bizarre for me that an airplane ha crossing runways...why is that?

[@davidnavarro4821]

I remember seeing the NTSB animation for this incident years ago on KZbin! At the time (2008-11) there were lots of animations for near misses. Now they don’t seem to be here anymore.

[@Zyphera]

Thanks for an other greate episode

[@ericostling7410]

Living near Boston I remember this incident very well, but never knowing how scary the close call was until this video. The thing about Logan is, being on the coast with the drastic wind direction changes, controllers really need to have use of those different runway directions, giving more safer take-offs and landings over time. It's a real trade-off, and hats off to all the personnel that made this the only real incident of this kind at Logan in the modern era, without any fatalities. **Especially** the quick thinking USAir pilots.

[@sharoncassell9358]

Thanks for this display. It is now February 2023.

[@smallpotatoes8226]

great video

[@torgeirbrandsnes1916]

Great vlog as always! Why did not the TCAS scream here?

[@Herowebcomics]

WOW! That stuff is crazy! You have to be careful with stuff like that! That first officer was a hero!

[@ryankenyon5010]

This hits close to home. I've flown Aer Lingus BOS -SNN.

[@jeg5gom]

Short and sweet 👍

[@Juggernaut1606]

I love the beautiful footage you have of the US airways in the sunset. Which game is that from?

[@edwardvannoy15]

This comes down to a matter of timing, so you use the clock to time alternating takeoffs. Runway #1 roll takeoffs on odd minutes (1,3,5...) runway #2 roll takeoffs on even minutes (2,4,6...). Both the air traffic controllers and the airplanes have synchronized clocks and the runways can be designated odd or even takeoff times and never change.

[@arianebolt1575]

Alternating minutes is not enough time. Every ten minutes, maybe.

[@SteveSmith-cd4hs]

Superior airmanship? Sounds like superior stayin-on-the-groundmanship to me!

[@michaelschwartz9485]

I thought ADSB and ground radar tracks planes taxiing and alerts to conflicts. Some runways have a lighting system that acts like Rail Road Crossing lights, if an aircraft is on a runway, other aircraft are stopped at the Hold Short area, with red flashing lights( that's not exactly how it is done but pretty close). As long as there is something that can go wrong, it will happen. Humans make mistakes from time to time. Great video! It's so nice to see one of your video's and everyone survives!

[@b33thr33kay]

9:15 "is the world still on fire in February 2022"? Oh, you have no idea...

[@monicabennett6620]

I would love to see a compilation of successful avoidance of disaster!

[@billmoran3812]

As a pilot, I feel that the technology has not kept up with the ATC industry. Too much critical information is still required to be transmitted verbally from controller to pilot and vice versa. Honestly, it’s a miracle that these events don’t occur more frequently. Airport ground operations could easily be controlled by automated signal systems. Similarity, landing operations could be cleared by radio dada link to each aircraft. Same for IFR release and route information. It would relieve controllers of so much of their present workload and allow them more time for monitoring safe operation vs repeating routine information.

[@tivey87]

ORD controller here. We still use strips in 2022 and flip them over in situations like this or when traffic is crossing in front of an aircraft holding in position. Low tech but a good reminder when it’s busy!