| Airline Industry Information - Further safety lapse reported at Boston's Logan airport AIRLINE
INDUSTRY INFORMATION-(C)1997-2005 M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTD
A series of runway mishaps at Logan International Airport in Boston, US, culminating in
the near-collision of two aircraft, has forced aviation authorities to draft new safety
plans.
The latest incident occurred on Monday (8 August) when a mechanic at the airport taxied
a FedEx cargo aircraft across the runway as a Florida-bound JetBlue aircraft carrying 130
passengers was preparing to take off. Monday's incident marks the 14th such safety lapse
at the airport since October 2004 and the fourth such incident since 9 June 2005.
The most serious runway incident occurred at the airport on 9 June 2005 when two
passenger aircraft, a US Airways Boeing 737 on its way to Philadelphia and an Aer Lingus
flight bound for Ireland, narrowly missed each other whilst taking off on intersecting
runways. According to a preliminary report from the National Transportation Safety Board
the aircraft were both cleared for takeoff within five seconds of each other and missed
each other by just 171 feet.
According to the Federal Aviation Administration and state port authority Massport,
Logan airport has reported double the number of runway incidents since October 2004 as
similar sized airports.
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