NEAR COLLISION between Departing and Taxiing aircraft at JFK

[@VASAviation]

*IMPORTANT PLEASE READ.* -- AAL106 first taxi clearance included runway 4L as departing runway (not in video) -- Then told to cross 31L at K and continue on to 4L. (in video after the reference from the Captain). -- When entering the runway 4L (about to cross 4L at J - diagram layover) they were told to stop several times on GND frequency (not in video) I included the little clip from Ground at the middle of the video because of the own reference of AAL106 male pilot for you to see what they had previously received. AAL185 and Jetblue are NOT involved. Colored boxes appear around the airplanes when they transmit for better visual reference. I can't understand the blames on this edit, seriously. This channel uses colors to highlight the talking aircraft and CALLSIGNS appear in the captions. Just pay attention to what they say and to whom.

[@dre-explores]

Oh wow... ☹ Thanks for the further information.

[@mrtech2259]

They were cleared to cross 31L at K, but they crossed 4L at J instead. Pilot error.

[@TM-nu7pj]

Confirmation bias at its best. You can tell this crew is used to going to 31L. This is why you read back the runway assignment as a part of you taxi instruction, which the American FO did not. That would’ve at least triggered a “wait did he say 4L?” in the cockpit and probably would've prevented the whole thing.

[@YSLaurens]

So why isn’t this in the video?

[@bizzym6638]

Saw this one on the news. They said the Delta was up to 115mph when told to cancel.

[@malek7861]

Love the Taxi diagram integration! Very neat video in such a short time. You're amazing.

[@VASAviation]

Thanks! 😃

[@pistonburner6448]

@@VASAviation I agree, excellent! The only suggestion I have for even more clarity is marking runways too. And maybe also at least in the very beginning marking the aircraft.

[@Furious321]

@@pistonburner6448 Yeah I swear the earlier videos from years ago always had aircraft color-coded to match the subtitles. Super easy to register "who and where". The liveries look nice but not great for analysis purposes.

[@kalidilerious]

lol nice vid but for some reason said "to scale" when obviously its not

[@CptCappelletti]

@@kalidilerious he says animation to scale meaning the approximate speed of each vehicle is to scale

[@jjintheflesh]

The controller who "cancelled" the clearance was so professional. His voice was so clear, showing ugency but not panic allowing you to hear the statement as a direction rather then a reaction. Wow. How that was called out saved the day. Awesome job.

[@kgb4187]

He was in a panic looking for the departing flight info to call out

[@n124lp]

He sounded quite panicked to me. I think there will be a lesson for the controller out of this incident, even though the main cause was the runway incursion.

[@Bill_N_ATX]

I was on a flight out of KATL a couple of years ago where the controller canceled our takeoff clearance only a few seconds before we were to rotate. I went back and listened to the tapes and I wouldn’t say she was panicking but she was excited. And this was for a screw up on the automated runway incursion system. There really wasn’t a heavy jet across the runway. If there had been, I imagine there would have been a few curse words on the tape there too. It’s a good thing there wasn’t one. It was a fully loaded MadDog. We stopped but I don’t think we could have stopped if it had a been a real incursion. Our pilots could see there wasn’t anything in the way so I’m not sure if they really hit them that hard. It still took a while for the brakes to cool down.

[@QemeH]

I mean... he literally said "Sh*t", then went silent for a second and THEN issued the "cancel T/O" instruction. Not that I am blaming ATC - having ground traffic to just roll into your active is one of the most scary things for a tower controller - but he definitively was a little panicked...

[@stephenhoover4095]

@@QemeH it almost sounds like it was someone else that said Sh@t.

[@AudiC7Owners]

I think screaming "Sh*t!" prior to any emergency instruction is far more effective than any "traffic alert" phraseology... Not applicable here really but it's inspiration. Great job, Kennedy LC 👏🏻

[@dondesfosse4173]

Look forward to seeing that in the next update to the 7110!

[@GoofysHatBand]

I think the call needs to be "SHIT! Delta, STOP!". "WTF AA?"

[@ronb1057]

@@user-pf5xq3lq8i Whaaaaaat?? ATC is to blame for this? Are you serious? Do you know anything about aviation. The AA pilots have a chart that shows them the route they need to taxi on and which runway they need to line up on. The ATC tower is simply confirming the route these pilots already have on their chart. The AA pilots should have taken an extra 30 seconds to look at that chart as they were being pushed back from the gate and then kept their eyes open for the 'light bars' that warn them about entering active runways. They were clearly asked to "cross runway 31Left at Kilo" (and she read back the directions). Nowhere did I hear ATC tell the pilots of AA to cross runway 4L straight ahead. It's shocking that the AA 106 was not asked to return to the gate.

[@A_youtube_channel_]

@@ronb1057 Shouldn't he have told them to hold short?

[@xogeneral1512]

@@A_youtube_channel_ they were not supposed to cross that , r3taddr

[@dre-explores]

Such a short time between recognizing the possible collision ("Sh*t!"), identifying the correct call sign and sending out the call ("Delta 1943, cancel takeoff clearance"). Thank you controllers for all you do! 🙏🙇 Pilots are really getting taxed these days. Thank goodness controllers and pilots are quick thinking and even quicker acting! Thanks for providing the approximate animations to scale!

[@ihateusernamesgrrr]

At a guess I'd say it's fair to assume 1943 was already in the process of cancelling when it got called out. Those big jets don't stop on a coin so they probably were already at it before tower said anything and saw the heavy and hit the brakes.

[@Jcreek201]

@@ihateusernamesgrrr They also don't accelerate that fast either though. It's really impossible to tell from the animation who noticed it first, but it's incredibly lucky that everybody acted so quickly and professionally. Aside from AA106 that is.. simple mistake, but it nearly cost hundreds of lives.

[@Rottidog68]

When he said "S.H.I.T.", it was a flashback to his Special High Intensity Training. Seems very effective!

[@kathrynslye471]

I guarantee that DAL1943 was already several Sh*ts ahead of Tower in the cockpit. More like “Is he crossing? Noooo, don’t don’t don’t! Shi*! SH*T!! RTO!!!” well before Tower saw it.

[@ysfsim]

​@@kathrynslye471 funny that if the delta plane saw the American, why didn't the American bother to look before crossing?

[@sarahmcconnell6524]

Good on the ATC for realizing the incursion and cancelling takeoff clearance. But I imagine the delay in DAL1943 reading back the cancellation and having to be told twice is because they were already rejecting and were a little busy. So props to the DAL1943 pilots as well for maintaining situational awareness.

[@TransportBaz]

Aviate, Navigate Communicate in full swing there!

[@jemsq]

Oh i got it. They were supposed to cross 31L at Kilo but mistakenly crossed 4L at Juliet. Ooof, someone is getting a write up.

[@prorobo]

CA who should retire paired with a clueless FO, not a good combination.

[@aeternusdoleo4531]

The instruction is rather vague though. "31L at KE, line up and wait" when KE is behind them. I think that caused a bit of confusion.

[@stargazer7644]

@@aeternusdoleo4531 That 31L at KE was for a different aircraft. AA106 was told to cross 31L at K @2:45

[@mattz1230]

@@aeternusdoleo4531 Another fool who can't tell 185 from 106

[@orbter82]

@@aeternusdoleo4531 If my understanding is correct, the "31L at KE, line up and wait" was for AAL185, not AAL106. AAL106 was instructed to cross 31L at K, but instead crossed 4L at J.

[@EVE101Patt]

you can hear the mix of anger, relieve and anxiety in the voice of the DAL1943 pilot..

[@bishopscore]

I would be shitting in my pants with that experience. Another Tenerife would have been sad 😢😢😢

[@zauru192]

his voice was shaking

[@svscared]

I only hear relief and adrenaline.

[@inshallamiami]

That “oof”

[@punkypink83]

when u hear the ATC scream SHIT into the freq thats when u know things could have been BAD

[@cloverazar5315]

Right?! When a JKF controller yelps an obscenity on an open mic, the safest place to be is the baggage claim 😂

[@jc5495]

@@cloverazar5315 You can hear in the background after they ask Delta if they need a few seconds the tower manager throwing f bombs in the background.

[@spades9048]

Lots of obscenities are said in a control room. Of course I am always extremely professional at all times and have never said anything inappropriate but I always keep my “side tone” on max. That’s where you can hear a little echo in your headset whenever the mic is hot. Again - not that I ever really need such a thing. No, sir - 100% HR compliant.

[@cloverazar5315]

@@jc5495 oh Jesus, that’s exactly what I wanna hear from ATC, eh? Whoof. You can taste the cortisol when the Delta pilot exhales all “whoo” Jfc, rough day at the office for all involved and meanwhile the passengers in the back like “oh hey is that a KLM?”

[@jc5495]

@@spades9048 understood, your pavlov yourself to curse only when you unclick, gotcha!

[@mxb_se]

That was crazy! Hearing Delta's crew after... just wow. Well done to Delta and ATC here.

[@Karpiel73]

You can hear the Delta crew was definitely shaken up too.

[@rickyjanzen6684]

@@Karpiel73 Hope they had a go bag with a change of clothes...

[@brandonadams7837]

Delta crew needed new underwear for sure that had to be scary to watch from the flight deck. I wonder if they saw the aircraft and rejected before tower even cancelled their clearance.

[@guntrain212]

@@brandonadams7837 I"ll bet they did exactly that the moment they saw an incursion. Can't imagine anyone competent who would see that and continue.

[@brandonadams7837]

@@guntrain212 obviously they wouldn't but it's a long runway and at night so maybe they didn't see it before ATC cancelled their TO clearance, or maybe they did.

[@fecardona]

Imagine the passengers on the 777 right side, looking out the window.

[@tomperkins5657]

I understood they all received free dry cleaning receipts and a pack of diapers.

[@dondesfosse4173]

@@tomperkins5657 and at least a month's supply of Valium, I hope!

[@4dareids]

I thought the same thing as well….

[@MultiPurposeReviewer]

When you think about the sheer number of flights departing, arriving, and taxiing all at the same time, at all the airports in the world, it's truly incredible that this kind of thing doesn't happen more often. This really speaks to how professional and skilled the controllers are at their jobs, and how far we've come since the days of Tenerife. You could have 10 years of routine operations with no incidents, but I bet the one incident like this, even averted, makes everything flash before your eyes.

[@dijoxx]

The sheer stupidity of still using humans to coordinate all this instead of automating it

[@MultiPurposeReviewer]

@@dijoxx And how would that have played out in this situation? The computer would have planned the same initial maneuvers that the controller did, only when the pilot makes a wrong turn, the computer is gonna sit there and buffer, recalculating like your car's GPS. The human in this instance saw/identified the problem and deployed a solution faster than a computer could have, and not only that, the solution only affected the two aircraft involved, rather than everyone else as well.

[@Diandredofus]

If it were due to the insanely busy controllers, sure. But this one is on a dumb pair of pilots who don't know 1) the alphabet 2) their runway headings 3) how to listen to the automated voice calling out runways you're about to enter 4) all of the above.

[@philipsmithers4826]

@@dijoxx Aren't you forgetting. Computers are programmed by us humans

[@RJSAMCRO]

Watching several videos and a mini docuseries on Tenerife it amazes me that an accident as bad as it was didn't happen more often. Besides the arrogance of the pilot, the lack of or fear of the F/O to question the Captain that airport had zero ground radar, very bad visibility almost daily and outdated FAA protocols. Sure an unforeseen amount of events occurred that lead to all those planes being there at an airport not capable of handling large planes at that volume but it is still pilots operating these planes and I feel with all the automation of planes with pilots applying AP as soon as gear up and now more planes using auto land it makes pilots IMO becoming greatly dependent on computers rather than training. While we probably wont have another Tenerife again, with automation becoming mainstream I feel these near collisions and deviations are going to get more frequent. Just my thoughts.

[@BofusTeefus]

Just read about this, and was wondering when I'd get to see it. Glad nobody was hurt. Thanks for the great content!

[@tomsmith5584]

Ditto. The AA crew is gonna have some 'splainin to do.

[@oliverlok554]

These come out so fast yet are made so well. Love the content

[@EmotionalWeather]

Except that the subtitles are always wrong. Always. Rare to see a video where they aren't and I don‘t get it. He understands the biggest gibberish (which is awesome), but then the easiest things are wrong (e.g. the phone number).

[@VASAviation]

@@EmotionalWeather somebody decided to put the 6 button next to the 7 button in my keyboard. Blame him, please.

[@EmotionalWeather]

@@VASAviation Yes, I get that in this case. Look, I am not trying to be rude or anything. It‘s just something I notice on a lot of videos and it drives me mad 😂

[@firemantim91]

@@VASAviation I hate when that happens

[@TheWabbit]

@VASAviation - you are a pilot, some people ( not me ) expect you to be p e r f e c t !

[@techmantra4521]

And that is how you create paperwork. Better than an actual accident. Hopefully lessons were learned.

[@cloverazar5315]

As they say in the biz: “better to push paper than gurneys”

[@soju69jinro]

but the FAA didn't do anything about it, then another 4 more incidents occurred the same way.

[@StarryConducter]

​@@cloverazar5315well said!

[@sandqwert]

That could be a very costly "Turn right, no, your other right" mistake. Such a simple mistake yet so deadly.

[@sailaab]

True. Imagine the ridicule and shitting on those involved.. if that happened in some African or Asian country.

[@MuhammedGemci]

That's why the runway and taxiway designations are included in clearances. When the Tower says "cross 31L at K" you immediately know that you should be on K, and you should see markings indicating that you are about to enter 31L. Definitely not J, nor 4L. But, this is humans performing highly stressful work, so, shouldn't really be talking while sitting on my comfy couch.

[@pinecedar180]

They can easily collision alert and guidance systems . It's 2023

[@Astro95Media]

@@pinecedar180 They have those (TCAS) but you still need pilots to pay attention. "Current year" arguments are nonsensical.

[@outermarker5801]

@@MuhammedGemci Actually you can. a) because you or your loved ones could be on the plane and b) They're SUPPOSED to be capable of operating the aircraft safely in FAR more stressful situations than taxiing to the damn runway. Not only did they BOTH fail to follow instructions, they BOTH failed to simply LOOK OUT THE WINDOW for traffic on the runway they illegally crossed.

[@yal100]

Jetblue 918 almost got a spectacular horror show in front of them. Id love to hear the cockpit chatter of all three jets. Wow.

[@falconwarrior920]

three jets?

[@trueilarim]

@@falconwarrior920 Yes. What is your question again?

[@SJF15]

@@falconwarrior920 yep, listen to the audio and read the comment again.

[@falconwarrior920]

@@trueilarim I wanna listen to all 30+ on the ground, you think kennedy is that quiet? jeez

[@trueilarim]

@@falconwarrior920 And they ALL must have something more important to say than the 3 mentioned?

[@skygiu]

Imagine the air traffic controller ...he probably took the day off after that

[@TrentEngineFan]

It probably would have been safer to take the day off

[@michaelreiningmedia]

i hope he was wearing brown pants

[@turbofanlover]

Yeah, to clean his underwear. ;)

[@realulli]

I think the crew of DAL1943 as well... "the aircraft returned to the gate after running some checklists". I wouldn't be surprised if the pilots took a while to compose themselves. (Or possible bring in a fresh crew, with fresh underwear... )

[@stephenbeck7222]

@@realulliI think they probably hit the brakes hard enough that they had to get the mechanics to check the aircraft again before it could take off.

[@virginiatyree6705]

Hey VASAviation, I've been reading about this all over the internet. One of the planes had to stay overnight. Glad everyone made it out alive. Great video & clarification of the event. Thanks for posting.

[@joshw1687]

I think deltas plane stayed overnight if I read it right

[@CAPDude44]

Probably Delta, I imagine he absolutely smoked the tires and brakes

[@virginiatyree6705]

@@CAPDude44 , Thanks. Yes, Delta

[@virginiatyree6705]

@@CAPDude44 , Thanks, yes Delta. v

[@falconeaterf15]

Possible Code Brown situation in both AC. Maybe Delta needed some freshening up.

[@oscar_charlie]

Hi Victor. I think this would've been better if the ground comms for AA106 were interleaved with the tower comms, so we heard both as they happened. Then it would be easier to understand AA106's mistake in real time.

[@robertbutsch1802]

But that wouldn’t have been as it happened. AA106’s taxi instructions were issued a while prior to all the drama on the runway.

[@MBheli621]

Agreed. I’ve heard the other comms with the full taxi instruction and it really does help you to see what they did wrong. Obviously they crossed the runway without a clearance but the context of knowing they were cleared across the runway just not that runway does help. Doesn’t at all excuse it though.

[@JosephHHHo]

Doing that would significantly dilute the context that the ground and tower controllers are different people and the tower controller wasn't in contact with the crossing aircraft and wasn't absolutely certain what they got told.

[@oscar_charlie]

This isn't supposed to be a mystery drama. We're using this as a tool to see what happened and learn from it. We can understand that tower and ground are on separate frequencies, and that AA106 was only monitoring ground. It still helps us get the full picture.

[@generalrendar7290]

No! With all the different call signs and instructions that are given quickly at different airports you can realistically listen to either ground or tower.

[@stargazer7644]

This video was very confusing. Might have been clearer to start with American 106's clearance to cross 31 at K. I thought the two aircraft being shown were American 185 and Delta 1943.

[@VASAviation]

Follow the colors of text and around the aircraft

[@stargazer7644]

@@VASAviation Ok, I see that now, it was just confusing because the American aircraft isn't identified until half way through the video after everything has happened.

[@lordviator]

@@stargazer7644 I have to agree with this statement. I watch every single one of your videos, and this is the first time I've stopped a video to play back from the beginning, because I thought I had missed something.

[@milesaharrison]

I agree too. One of the more confusing videos. All of your videos are in a linear format, so it is odd that you start half way through and then put the beginning at the end (the misunderstood clearance that starts them crossing the wrong runway).

[@laurenzo4051]

+1

[@mikefm4]

It honestly amazes me what the ground Control men and women do and coordinate. Close calls like this being a very rare event speaks volumes to their profession. Glad everyone made it safe

[@stephen3762]

Less than of a quarter of ATC are women.

[@ayatollahlalalola]

@@stephen3762 And 50% of the ATC involved in this incident are women. What's your point?

[@stephen3762]

@@ayatollahlalalola You know what my point is.

[@airplaneian]

Worth noting that the aircraft aren't to scale here as indicated in the note @ 1:05, 4L is 200ft wide, a 737's wingspan is only around 100 ft. This scale mismatch really exaggerates how closely the aircraft were together at the point of closest approach. Obviously still a major incident, but important to note for accuracy's sake when the main concern is the spatial relationship between these two aircraft.

[@Fastvoice]

Closest distance was about 1000 ft according to the FAA.

[@Dan007UT]

I also wonder if Delta already was in the process of aborting takeoff before they were told to as I imagine they saw the plane crossing the runway... maybe? Hopefully! Great job either way

[@n16161]

The person that runs this channel makes great content, but the captions are frequently full of typos and incorrect transcriptions, and someone should teach them what “to scale” means.

[@craig00000]

@@Fastvoice That's not far when the plane was doing 100kts

[@Fastvoice]

@@craig00000 It was more like 115 knots which is roughly 5 seconds for 1000 feet. So the headline could be: "5 seconds away from catastrophe"

[@hard_at_it9852]

That could have been catastrophic.

[@NicolaW72]

Indeed.

[@jimw1615]

About 450 total soles between the two aircraft from what I understand.

[@lbowsk]

@@jimw1615 450 soles? Assuming that everyone was wearing shoes and there were no amputees on board, would there not have been more like 900 soles on board? Not to mention the shoes in their luggage. Why that number could have easily been over 1000!

[@kirannarayanan1224]

Thank You ATC for not making this into another Air Crash Investigation episode.🥰

[@glenm99]

I like the "It's going to be more than 90 seconds in position." It's kind of funny (because *obviously*), but also it shows that the controller is still aware of everything else going on and still in control. It's that extra level of expertise, and I appreciate it.

[@kasho0723]

Yeah you don’t wanna be sitting blind on an active runway let alone in JFK, this was just the controller saying I haven’t forgotten about you I know where u are!

[@bdcheung]

This could have been another Tenerife. Well done to the tower ATC and the DAL pilot for acting so quickly and decisively.

[@gregkrekelberg4632]

Exactly what I was thinking. Visibility would have been no excuse either. (Not that that would ever be valid.)

[@daftvader4218]

Nothing like a Teneriffe .. The plane on the runway had a positive departure clearance.. AND a positive STOP clearance !!!

[@daftvader4218]

@@sncy5303 The KLM Captain was 100% at fault... Rolling without a CLEARANCE. With appalling SOP ,CRM and airmanship .

[@budguy21]

not even close, Drama.

[@PrayingToTheAlien]

I think the KLM at Tenerife was rolling much faster than here - may be wrong, just seems like the Delta just started rolling...

[@ef2111]

Whoa. That was close. A lot of people could've died there. Two AAL pilots in the cockpit and both missed crossing the wrong runway and missed Delta with their landing lights on the takeoff roll. I bet Delta saw AAL right before the controller called them and started to reject the takeoff. This may have been a much different story if ground visibility was bad...

[@solidamanda]

the problem for me is that no body bothered to just look outside before crossing. I always look outside for a second before I cross a runway.....

[@ef2111]

@@solidamanda And with signage and lighting, there just is no excuse.

[@chris-hayes]

Which makes me wonder. ATC at big airports do have collision warning systems right? In at least one of VAS's videos you can hear the alarm in the tower coming through the mic. I'm curious what first alerted ATC to the problem - looking out the window, looking at ground radar(is that what it's called?), or a collision warning system going off.

[@vbscript2]

@@chris-hayes The pilots have lights for that, too, at least at most major airports now. It's a relatively recent addition (last several years,) but I would assume that JFK has them by now. They're called runway status lights and they should have been showing a bunch of red lights to the AA crew as they were crossing.

[@bradleydobie3891]

@@solidamanda that doesn't do you much good in a line up and wait scenario because from a few thousand feet away it can be hard to tell initially if the plane is waiting or rolling towards you until it gets closer.

[@renataavgeri1132]

He saved a possible panam again. Well done to the atc guy. Looking at all times and being ready for everything and anything. To the point with the cancel take off clearance call and immediate reaction no hesitation loud and clear. Easy for the pilots to understand to stop immediately. Good job to the guy he saved it

[@Nardur12321]

had it been foggy, it would have been another one.

[@King-2077]

Atc have radars right? So of course they would have easily caught it. Their first priority is to monitor runway and movements around it, so there’s no way they would have missed that unless they are taking a nap lol

[@renataavgeri1132]

@King-2077 they had radars back then too. Atc has to monitor a lot of planes and with the speed of the delta increasing rapidly he had no time available

[@karthickjayaraman2090]

​@@renataavgeri1132 Tenerife airport in 1977 didn't have airport radar.

[@renataavgeri1132]

@karthickjayaraman2090 it had but it was inoperable

[@bkailua1224]

I flew airliners out of JFK. The last thing you want to hear is "we have a number for you to call". With all the equipment in the jet and lights and signs on the airport nowadays it is hard to make a mistake like this, but unfortunately it can happen. Lucky for all the Delta pilot was able to stop in time.

[@jordanpermenter3003]

Yep, you can hear the "oh fuck, we're screwed" in the Heavy's voice when atc says "you're currently short of 31L"

[@Jisstifer83626]

Who do they speak to when they call the number?

[@mikehunter1483]

@@Jisstifer83626 usually a ATC supervisor. The call will be recorded so they can go back and listen to your version of the story. It will be sent to the chief pilot at your airline and from there it’s out of your hands. You’ll most likely be put on a temporary grounding (depending on your airline and Union contract it could be with or without pay).

[@Kangalan-]

This is exactly why pilot monitoring needs to be paying attention. A simple case, but safety piloting for a kid the other day and while taxiing he turned towards the wrong runway. As we were on the ground I was essentially just a passenger at that point but I was listening enough to notice the mistake and point it out to avoid having a conversation with tower about it. This is a pretty extreme case but it highlights the potential disaster that can happen without good CRM.

[@mazincraft1]

I was wondering when will this drop HAHA VAS never disappoints

[@oldcarnocar]

nope never! vas rocks

[@bugjuicer]

Why wasn't the full incident shown? I've heard the radio from AAL being told where to go and up to where it's picked up here. Would help to show where who went wrong and why

[@cs3350]

@Joe Garfield plane involved is AAL106 and was clearly told to cross 31L at K and continue on to 4L @02:45 and they crossed 4L at Juliet instead Don't confuse with instruction to AAL185 (31L at KE line up and wait) Not an ATC's mistake

[@Notimp0rtant523]

This controller just earned a raise EDIT: since multiple people are commenting, at no point does the controller instruct any American aircraft to approach or cross 4L. He instructs both American aircraft to approach or cross 31L, and American 106 erroneously crosses 4L at Juliet even after a correct readback.

[@JustSayN2O]

and an extra week of vacation and a promotion

[@ZeWhiteTiger]

@Joe Garfield two different AA planes

[@rickyjanzen6684]

@@JustSayN2O AA106 probably gets a vacation, too!

[@froggymicb]

I think more likely he earned some more training! Pretty bad when your in such a hurry to direct the plane you can't give the directions properly!

[@dew9103]

and probably needed to change his pants

[@tycon1337]

There are few important transmissions missing. AAL106 was cleared to cross the 31L runway which goes from upper left to lower right in the frame. Instead they crossed 4L . Cant imagine any traffic would have been heading over to line up and wait at 31L this day.

[@jjouney]

At LAX, don't they have flashing lights on taxiways intersecting runways that activate when an aircraft is on the runway? Seems like something like that could be helpful at JFK and other airports with intersecting runways (if not in place already). Also, don't pilots need to verify clear left/right upon entering an active runway? Kudos to the JFK tower controller for calmly handling this incident. Thanks VAS for the great animation!

[@CMH-aviation]

yes LAX has lights on the taxiways that turn on when the runway isnt safe to enter

[@christophermarsh6983]

Yes they have to clear right/left, however at a busy airport like JFK they will have aircraft line up and wait while aircraft cross. Very common to look down a runway and see lights from an aircraft on it. Head on it can be hard to tell if and aircraft is headed toward you.

[@lastdance2099]

Code brown moment there.

[@pistonburner6448]

Better than code blue... 😰 (Except the song named Code Blue by T.S.O.L. is fantastic)

[@superman60201]

Thanks for these videos. No complaints or advice from me. Keep up the good work.

[@yohonomoe5095]

I had to rewatch because it was confusing. The first AA185 was not the 777. But when the AA185 communication began the video zoomed a little on the 777, so I assumed that the 777 was AA185 (which it was not) and I thought they had totally misunderstood line up and wait 31L/KE, and instead they crossed 4L.

[@cojawfee]

Yeah this video is a bit confusing if you can't keep track of the callsigns. I would prefer to just have the linear timeline of events without weird flashbacks.

[@DerDepp2]

I still don't get it

[@TheTubadMoose]

The first instructions given are for a different AA flight(AA185) than the 777 (AA106)that crossed the runway. 4L was the active runway so all aircraft were being told to cross 31L at KE. AA106 screwed up and didn’t follow taxi directions.

[@dew9103]

@@DerDepp2 the video by flightwatch on yt is quite a bit clearer

[@DerDepp2]

@@dew9103thank you!

[@cloverazar5315]

That silence there at 1:00 was *everyone* involved considering a new career 😂

[@grandTITANIA]

watching this made me think about that too

[@wizardmix]

That silence was likely anything but. The Tower was likely on the phone or getting a supervisor to explain what just occurred during that silence also likely getting someone to relieve him so he could focus on the incident. Delta was getting off the runway and then performing the RTO emergency checklist. AA106 were likely reviewing the directions the received from ATC (which is often jotted down) probably also making some sort of announcement to the FAs and possibly the passengers.

[@ChristianCMusic]

You still got the number to that truck driving school? Truck Masters I think it was

[@cloverazar5315]

@@wizardmix I’m sorry, I neglected to file that joke’s flight plan before it flew right over your head

[@wizardmix]

​@@cloverazar5315 Did you calculate your fuel in metric or imperial for that joke? Anyway I just felt like writing.

[@AK-rx6hv]

This might be a stupid question (non pilot here), But doesn't Delta see that there's a plane rolling that may not be stopping, and likewise doesn't American look both sides of the runway before crossing an active runway? Or do they just fully go by what tower instructs without "looking".

[@timeslidez]

My guess is that the Delta was probably already stopping before the ATC instruction to.

[@n16161]

Of course they are looking at the runway in front of them before and during takeoff. Yes.

[@ChrisGugliuzza]

@Jeff Conard even if they look, it's hard to tell if a plane is rolling already from that distance

[@cesarioj.f.g.7959]

After all of this what really makes me absolutely confusing and perplexed its the fact AA T7 crew continued for a transat crossing with all *that weight on their shoulders*...unbelieavble why AA ops didnt change the crew after the incident...very disturbing phisically & mentally/emotionally for the AA crew IMHO, and even for the total safety of their plane, flt and pax.

[@wintercame]

💯

[@XPLAlN]

...so true. Distraction is a killer and if they weren't massively distracted after that they can't be human.

[@theoverniter]

That flight absolutely should not have been allowed to depart

[@stevemayo8492]

Great job getting this up so quickly guys but I noticed a bit of a time warp at 2:45 where the ATC instruction for AA106 to cross 31L at K was given. Perhaps a new video could be done up with all the clearances in the sequence they were issued. For sure someone screwed up and should lose their job for putting that many lives in jeopardy.

[@Chris-de2qh]

The way the video was made is fine for me but I get what you're saying. We hear the crossing instruction when the controller said " we'll listen to the tapes" We then hear the recording like we are the controllers replaying what happened. Subtle but it works.

[@mathildameier8340]

The FAA reported according to preliminary analysis the 737 stopped about 1000 feet short of the intersection with taxiway J, where the 777 had crossed the runway. The FAA and NTSB opened an investigation. After the phone call with tower AA-106 departed from runway 31L about 30 minutes later. DL-1943 returned to the apron, the aircraft remained on the ground for about 15 hours, then departed for the flight DL-1943 and reached Santo Domingo with a delay of about 14.5 hours. DL had 151 people on board, no info about AA.

[@flyerdon3116]

Really need to hear the ground frequency tapes to get a full picture of this.

[@VASAviation]

The important part of Ground is in the video

[@lightinggeek_uk2477]

AAL106 was instructed “runway 4L taxi bravo, hold short of kilo”, AAL read back correct and proceeded onto J short 4L, instruction was then given to cross 31L but pilot was short 4L, a mistake on both ATC and Pilot in my opinion.

[@davidvincent1093]

I have heard them and they were replayed here one plane was clearly told to take off on 4 L and the other clearly -and read it back 31 L (search around other sites and you can find the ground tapes. The problem I have is that the pilot should have caught it that everyone else had been cleared on 4 and he was on 3 and should have questioned why the change before proceeding

[@mattz1230]

@@lightinggeek_uk2477 How is that a mistake on the ATC? They gave the proper instruction, pilot failed to execute.

[@lightinggeek_uk2477]

@@mattz1230 the instruction was correct but the aircraft was holding short of the wrong runway. Yes, the pilot is mostly to blame, but safety lies with the ground controller who, at JFK will have a surface movement radar which shows exact positions of aircraft. The pilot was wrong for taxing the wrong way but the ATC has the responsibility of knowing where the aircraft are, clearly a lapse in judgement on both parts in my opinion

[@royalbirb275]

i could hear one of the controllers cussing in the background of the pilot deviation call...i would too after such a near miss. sheesh.

[@royalbirb275]

@@atcdude067 ope i totally misread that, im stupid lmao

[@jamesberbrich6440]

Why didn’t you include the initial taxi instructions to AAL106 heavy and the read back? You didn’t give us the complete picture.

[@timeslidez]

Indeed it was a strange editing decision to play their taxi instructions after the incident had occurred.

[@rjhornsby]

curious why the ATC phrase standard is “cancel takeoff clearance” over a much more simple, direct, and faster to communicate “stop” or “abort”

[@tomstravels520]

Just a logical guess but STOP STOP STOP could apply to anyone and also doesn’t really make clear what you want to stop. If you didn’t quite catch the ATC saying your callsign (noisy cockpit with engines running at takeoff power) you might not be sure who that is for and don’t want to abort, find out it wasn’t for you and now you have to wait to cool brakes. If you hear “cancel takeoff clearance” at most airports that is only going to be one plane so you know immediately it’s you.

[@kmills1231]

because you have to use exact and precise phraseology. Just saying stop but not saying what to stop doing can cause confusion. Using non standard phrases has caused accidents before

[@logicplague]

Too vague, commands need to be brief and specific.

[@noeldown1952]

@@kmills1231 ICAO standard is "stop" for a rolling aircraft and "cancel" for a stationary one. The ATC used non-standard phraseology for the situation.

[@mattz1230]

That's just wrong. Who? What? Where? They're talking to dozens of planes. You can't just yell stop and expect a response.

[@INTERCONfly]

Definitely going to have to ASAP that Brasher Warning. Woof. I'd love to be able to read that ASAP report to find out what lead to this one.

[@elliothicks4747]

Heard about the incident and came straight here to get the best idea of what actually happened. Thanks for these videos.

[@nickgresla234]

Kudos to the delta pilots for the quick reflexes and quick reaction to avoid the collision

[@jerrycummings2657]

Great job on the controller’s part. But let’s not leave the Delta crew out. I’m guessing they saw the conflict coming and began the rejected takeoff prior to the controller’s instructions.

[@jonathanself3474]

“I have a number for you” is the last thing you want to hear from an air traffic controller.

[@sankimalu]

I can’t wait to see the Mentour pilot episode on this, although it’s pretty clear from the video and the comments what happened…

[@daftvader4218]

He will say it's not the pilots lack of attention and airmanship but their training and other cultural reasons....they were never taught to........

[@micheleh5269]

Yes. This is very confusing to me right now. Maybe both captain and first officer just didn't pay close attention. Kinda hard to believe though

[@daftvader4218]

@@micheleh5269 Don't be confused. ..... A professional crew will listen to the other clearances being giving to other aircraft ...especially take off clearances. AND before they cross ANY runway will do a very positive RUNWAY CLEAR check....and verbally confirm that ..... There is a good reason aircraft put their lights on before take off......!! It's not just a reminder that they have take off clearance and for bird avoidance. .. There are very distinctive markings and signs to define that there is a runway ahead. SOLID LINES across your taxiway before a runway denotes a STOP is required unless you have a clearance. It is that simple...

[@wickedpawn5437]

Happened on Friday 1/13/22. DL1943 (headed for SDQ) was late by almost 2 hours. The AA crew who messed things up were able to depart on time, while the poor DL1943 passengers were deplaned and overnighted at JFK, leaving at 10:42 am next morning.

[@Boz_-st4jt]

Took them a long time to clean the cockpit and cabin!

[@cflyin8]

@@Boz_-st4jt was going to say. The DL crew likely had to go back to the hotel to change their boxers.

[@DesiArcy]

That's because when a jetliner has to brake hard for an emergency takeoff rejection, their brakes massively overheat and both the brake pads and in most cases the thermal fuse plugs in the tires will also melt -- this deflates the tires in order to save them from exploding. That's why the ATC asked DL1943 if he *could* clear the runway or whether he needed to make safety checks before attempting to move; he was basically asking if the airliner's tires had blown or whether he could still taxi clear before the thermal plugs went. Unfortunately, this means the aircraft rejecting takeoff typically has to be taken out of service until it can be fully checked over by mechanics, hence the flight delay.

[@tclem44]

@@DesiArcy Thank you for explaining this. I was wondering why the flight was cancelled.

[@TheGecko213]

@@Boz_-st4jt And their pants

[@Rexen1995]

Not the first video I've seen with top-down animation but this is by far the clearest by making use of color. Good job!

[@adb012]

Whatever happened to the red stop lights at the intersection with active runways?

[@c.c.s.1102]

They’re disabled at JFK for some reason

[@j2thec472]

Well time to bring them back !!!

[@jayswarrow1196]

The passengers of Delta_1943 had a real thrill ride, experiencing full throttle reverse right on the takeoff run. That "Whoof!" was so storytelling...

[@miokujou]

I think everyone involved needed a day off after this. That was way too close for comfort

[@proudbirther1998]

Its no different if your driving and almost get into an accident You just go on. They are professionals. .

[@Geoff69420]

@@proudbirther1998 Generally, you're not likely to get t-boned by another vehicle going upwards of 160 mph. And it's also very unlikely that your accident would result in hundreds of deaths and the closure of one of the busiest airports in the world.

[@jonasblane2157]

@@proudbirther1998 Uh, no.

[@TimmyTandoori]

Was waiting for this one!!

[@virginiatyree6705]

Same. It's all over the internet. v

[@server2307]

So of not mistaken, American 106 heavy was suppose to cross 3L on taxiway Kilo, so when they pushed back they should have made that first right, but ended up somehow cross 4L the active runway on taxiway Juliet and now holding for 3L either JA or Z intersection. Yep, pilot deviation.

[@vbscript2]

31L, not 3L. But, otherwise, yes.

[@davidebrownstl]

Those planes are GIGANTIC!!! What model are they? The runway looks too small for them.

[@kaimanson3174]

Thanks for always sharing these great videos. I'm not a pilot, but love the whole aviation thing. Can someone give an example of how that call to tower would go?.....In tons of videos, when something major happens they are giving a # to call. (I know, it is basically, "you are in trouble, give us a call"....but to those pilots, how do the call usually go.

[@rachelduke1580]

You can look up the recording of Harrison ford's call to the tower. Idk about others but I've heard that one.

[@kaimanson3174]

@@rachelduke1580 yeah i remember that one...

[@LiamDennehy]

Outstanding work on documenting this, we'll done!

[@SeanReigle]

I don't fly into this airport... Do they have the "red light"/"green light" clear to cross runway indications here on 4L at Juliet? Also, what was the visibility like? Could Delta see the incursion prior to ATC reject?

[@kickedinthecalfbyacow7549]

I think that Delta would be able to see the 777 taxi onto the runway in daylight.

[@TheGecko213]

Lights on the runway signs , green and red , are there at night time at every major airports in the world.

[@misguidance__]

Great work by ATC crew!

[@SwedebearSe67]

As always I appreciate your videos enormously but it would have been informative to hear the whole radio conversation, also the bit before the situation got critical. Also for dramatic effect, I love how your videos usually have the whole story, from the very ordinary calm operation, to that sudden moment when everything goes wrong.

[@daftvader4218]

What happen to "right side clear" when crossing an active runway ????

[@nathancommissariat3518]

Was nuts to watch the news unfold on twitter, but this just shows how significant this event was, and how close it could have come to a disaster.

[@meganproffitt424]

It also shows how safe flying is and how many things have to go wrong for an actual crash to occur

[@realifejon]

Been waiting for this one all weekend!

[@lingchenzeng5745]

1:30 in the background."who the fuck is that" LFMAO

[@virginiatyree6705]

Good catch. Thanks. v

[@guilhermema9]

It is common due to possible pilot deviation ask for the crew to contact TWR in a phone number?? What's the purpose on this procedure?? Saw the same in other deviations. This won't stress the crew even more before the flight?? This is a real question. I'm an air traffic controller in Brazil

[@meganproffitt424]

Very common. Pilots call the number, they get told what they did was wrong and why (basically they have a chat with ATC or someone) and they get told to expect the FAA to contact them

[@toddw6716]

That airport is equipped with AMASS and maybe even those lights that blink when someone goes on the runway with a plane departing. Can’t recall the name I want to say RWSL. Wonder if they went off?

[@ashleyreagan5543]

Could’ve been a Tenerife situation! Good job on ATC and the Delta pilot for reacting so quickly. You can tell the Delta pilot was shook up…rightly so!!

[@trixie_737]

This clip cuts out some of the more important dialog! AA was instructed to taxi: 4L left on B/K .... Then cross 31L at K

[@blueboats7530]

In this video time stamp 2:54 the AAL copilot acknowledges "cross 31L at K". . . so how did they both lose track of what they were doing? CVR tapes might be really interesting.

[@ValNishino]

Possibly expectation bias. Has happened many times before.

[@ccudmore]

What was their vector, Victor?

[@DaveFromBrooklyn]

No ground radar? According to the animation, AA was already by KB when told to use KE for 4L. Maybe both AA & the tower share fault for the mishap?

[@mikefj2004]

This goes waaaaaay beyond a write up

[@thractrack]

I’m a big fan of the VASAviation channel and I say this while still liking the video. I think you should have included the American 106 initial taxi instructions and then sped up to the moments we see in the video. Would have helped with the confusion. Thanks!

[@VASAviation]

Thanks for the idea!

[@ialsoagree]

@@VASAviation Thanks so much for getting this out - it's been in the news and I was curious if and when we'd see it on here, and how much this audio would clarify what happened. I want to echo the above posters comment. I'd love to see another video that includes the ground audio for 106 and the delta flight, speeding up the delays and chatter with other planes. Regardless, thanks so much for your hard work and getting this published so quickly!

[@lonesparrow676]

yes, do we know the full taxi instructions given to AAL106 from the time they left the ramp???

[@Coolpachito]

There seems to be conflicting information... the Delta flight (bound to Dominican Republic) actually canceling and people were given either refunds or hotel accommodations / vouchers to fly the next day, as some passengers were interviewed and one said he requested a refund instead of a voucher.

[@theoverniter]

the Delta flight was delayed, not cancelled outright. The same pilots flew out the following day with a new FA crew. All pax were offered accommodations but some chose to stay in the airport overnight, and others chose not to re-board at all.

[@kaffir76]

0:28 Runway 31L is on the other side of 4L. Why was AA at that position before crossing 4L?

[@Wise871]

I wonder if Blanco will give us his feedback on this incident. Don’t blame him if he doesn’t.

[@thomasrapp2536]

He works for AA I don't blame him if he dose not comment on this incident.

[@kgb4187]

I think he's focusing in the Nepal crash right now

[@scottrattray127]

He works for UA

[@mattkelty5855]

@@scottrattray127 he’s on the AA 777

[@scottrattray127]

I stand corrected!

[@justifylies6734]

Thank You Great Quality

[@TheJerseyAviator]

Clearly a Pilot Deviation and runway incursion. American Crossed 4L at J NOT 31L at K. Thankfully no one was hurt!

[@vladimirfromukraine419]

What ATC clearance was given to American 106? RW 31L might have been given for departure before taxiing. ???

[@VASAviation]

Read pinned comment

[@MrHashinclude]

The airplane highlighted (at T0:28) is AA 106 (but the ATC instructions are for AA 185, which is on 31L at KE, to the bottom left behind AA106). It would be worth adding this annotation in the video, otherwise it looks like the highlighted aircraft is AA185.

[@xXBL4KAl3YSSXx]

I don’t see any highlighting at that time stamp - I don’t think AA185 was ever visible in this display. It appears the only two aircraft we’re shown are the AA and DAL in question. The tiny planes are just part of the satellite image used as a background.

[@joerepoman1]

When they have to call that number (I’m assuming it’s a write up or something) how many can the get before losing their license?

[@davidvancina4478]

It's called a "Brasher Warning", and it's the aviation equivalent of, "You have the right to remain silent...". It officially lets the pilot know the authorities are going to be looking into whatever just happened. Getting the warning doesn't jeopardize your license directly, but if your violation is proven and is serious enough, one might be all it takes.

[@aeternusdoleo4531]

Good call by the tower. That could have ended badly. I think the somewhat nonstandard radio call there can be forgiven... it was indeed, a crappy situation.

[@computerjantje]

Great and perfect video to go with the audio. Thank you

[@toddw6716]

Nice job by the controller. Also the Delta pilots because many times when they are rolling they miss radio calls

[@philwoodward5069]

Agreed. Really, assuming AA is just blundering across the active runway without clearance and without looking, in cases like this disaster should be averted one way or another: either the Delta pilots see the other plane and reject, or they get a RIMCAS alert and reject, or they get a call from Tower and reject. When the report lands it'll be interesting to see what first prompted them to reject, but hopefully we'll discover all those passengers' lives weren't solely reliant on that call from the controller...

[@00chips]

The pilots almost certainly saw the other aircraft moving into the runway and aborted before the controller was able to cancel their clearance.

[@bradskis81]

I can almost guarantee the Delta guys had already recognized the intruding plane, and were in the process of rejecting the TO before ATC said anything. They were probably busy with the reject procedure and callouts when the controller said to, which is why it took them a couple calls to respond back.

[@toddw6716]

@@bradskis81 most likely. I found that most of the time that was the case. The alert doesn’t happen till the departing aircraft reaches 60 mph.

[@Bartaaron04]

I guess it was just because of the quick response needed, but I feel like the proper ‘stop immediately’ would’ve been more effective than ‘cancel takeoff clearence’ from the controller

[@spelldaddy5386]

It is confusing that atc says the flow is 4L for departures, yet he tells AA185 to line up on 31L/KE. That could plant the thought that maybe AA106 was also going to 31L instead of 4L. Also, while not an excuse, JFK is a complicated airport, and easy to get lost or take a wrong turn if the pilot isn't paying attention. I'd be interested to revisit this in a year or two after the NTSB does their investigation

[@mrtech2259]

To cross 31L at K is clearly not the same as crossing 4L at J...

[@jazzi_0453]

It's not that uncommon to use another runway for a departure if wind permits and if its for some reason more convenient or appopriate. Especially at an airport as busy as JFK where every plane that you can get off the ground counts

[@denotlan21]

NTSB WONT cause nothing happend it will be THE FAA

[@mattz1230]

That's...completely wrong. If your boss tells your coworker to do something, do you think automatically that he'll tell you the same? There are signs literally everywhere- and a warning system that lights up to block the crossing taxiways when a plane is on a runway. This is like running a red light- do you run red lights because the lane next to you get told to go with an arrow?

[@fredknox2781]

@@mrtech2259 While the AA pilots situational awareness was very poor, they were not the only ones making sloppy decisions. Unless there were some missing parts of the tower transmission, he said "31L KE line up and wait" not "cross 31L at KE runway 4L line up and wait". I think if the tower instruction was complete, this likely would not have happened.

[@MarcelPichault]

I would assume that after such an incident, the pilot could decide not to fly for the day? Is it possible? recommended or even mandatory?

[@therealmg8675]

They may never fly again.. Especially after the press this is getting

[@markevans2294]

This was likely what one or both of the Delta pilots did.

[@nickgresla234]

I had to listen to it a couple times but yes that was a runway incursion

[@ChristinaChrisR]

Great job, Victor. You seen Blancolirio’s video yet? Thank the heavens (the ATC and the crew at Delta) that everything went ok.

[@FreshTillDeath56]

Wow. Shit that was close!

[@davidvincent1093]

actually it was S*HT LOL

[@highwayempire1]

Isn't there an alert system that activates if a runway incursion like this one is happening

[@xeldinn86]

It does alert in the tower.

[@aviationandotherstuff6571]

Indeed, there is

[@galdavonalgerri2101]

reminds me of that movie where a police officer radios "bring a pair of fresh underware". So the Delta 1943 crew preferred to take a day off ... I fully understand.

[@davidvancina4478]

We only know that the airplane got the day off. The crew could have been immediately assigned another flight!

[@TheGecko213]

@@davidvancina4478 Very Unlikely

[@galdavonalgerri2101]

@@davidvancina4478 I believe you that this is a possibility. But the airplane did never have any issue, just the crew might have had one. So, in my opinion, there would be no reason to change the hardware but keep the software. The problem was cearly software-related.

[@felixrowan3740]

I'm curious as to what led to AAL106 making the wrong turn, as that requires both pilots to have made the same mistake.