Thursday, 4:30 PM
Delta jet aborts landing at Logan
By Mac Daniel, Globe Staff
A Delta Air Lines passenger jet aborted its landing this week at Logan International Airport after the cockpit collision alarm sounded when a nearby small regional jet attempted to land on a parallel runway, Federal Aviation Administration officials said today.
No one was injured, and FAA spokesman Jim Peters said the agency is not investigating the incident, saying the air traffic controllers did everything by the book. In addition, Peters said the pilot has not filed a near-collision report.
The jets were about 200 to 300 feet apart vertically and 3,600 feet apart horizontally, the FAA said.
"There was no imminent danger of these two aircraft colliding with each other," Peters said.
The incident on Tuesday afternoon was the first involving Runway 32, the new landing strip that opened in December for regional jets after three decades of court battles with nearby communities.
It was first reported today by The Patriot Ledger on its website.
Delta Flight 1637, a Boeing 757 from Salt Lake City, was approaching Runway 33L at the same time a Delta Connection regional jet, being operated by Chautauqua Airlines, was approaching the new Runway 32.
Air traffic controllers had both pilots acknowledge that another plane was nearby and maintain visual separation, Peters said. But as they both approached Logan in gusty conditions, the Boeing 757 pilot reported first a visual warning and later an audible collision-avoidance warning before aborting the landing and returning to 3,000 feet.
