The Flexjet Bombardier Challenger 350 pilot who was involved last month in a runway invasion at Chicago Midway International told investigators he could not recall seeing the hold short line and could not recognize the runway as different to the taxable route.
According to a preliminary investigation released by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), the business jet entered the runway without permission from Air Traffic Control (ATC) and urged the Boeing 737, run by Southwest Airlines.
The NTSB study found that the 737 and business jets maintain a lateral separation of just 61m (200 feet) based on the approximate location of the GPS antennas on each aircraft.
The near miss occurred on February 25th around 8:50 Chicago time. The 737-800 has halted landings on the widely shared video on social media, and aviation safety concerns have risen following several high-profile accidents.
The Southwest Flight 2504 flight crew told investigators that the approach to Runway 31C is calm and that the autopilot is engaged up to about 500 feet above the ground.
“As they continued their approach, both the captain and (first officer) looked at the airport visually and saw a general aviation aircraft in taxis on the surface perpendicular to the runway, and assumed that it was missing from Runway 31C,” the report said.
The assistant officer heard the “audible 100-foot call on the aircraft,” and realized that the aircraft was not holding a short and asked for a go-around. The captain performed the operation “satisfactory and smooth.”
According to NTSB, the FlexJet pilot is confused by the ATC instructions and is reading it incorrectly at first. “However, the ground controller immediately reissued the instructions and received the correct feedback.”
The crew on the business jet flight deck told investigators that the sun had obstructed visibility to the right of the Challenger 350.
“They also said that Runway 13R/31L appears to have a very similar width to a taxi and they didn't recognize it as a runway,” the NTSB said.
Both pilots reportedly appeared left and right, and did not see the inbound SW 737 in the final approach.
The ATC instructed the business jet to exclude runway 31C, but no transmission was accepted.
Following the near miss, ground control informed the pilot that it had crossed runway 31c and “provided a number to find possible pilot deviations.” The captain sought a rating of happiness before continuing his flight before departing about 25 minutes after the runway invasion.
“The rest of their flight was uneventful,” says NTSB.
The report points out that cockpit audio recorders on both aircraft have been overwritten.
