A Boeing 737 plane had to brake in extremis at the time of takeoff because another aircraft appeared at the back of the minute blocking its way at JFK airport in New York.
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The Delta flight which was to go to the Dominican Republic was not easy, and rather traumatic for several passengers, Friday evening.
The Boeing, which was traveling at more than 185 km / h, had to brake suddenly, reports the MailOnline.
An American Airlines plane was just crossing the runway at the same time.
Several passengers screamed at the top of their lungs. A dead silence then settled.
“It was a split second, but the impression we had was that it wasn’t going to end well,” passenger Donall Brian Healy told NBC News.
“People shouted, the plane slowed down, then total silence,” recalls the man.
An air traffic controller had told the American Airlines flight commander to cross “runway 31L at Kilo”, but instead crossed runway 4 left at Juliet, crossing directly in front of the Delta flight.
The Delta pilot was then forced to brake hard, traveling another 200 yards, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said following the incident.
The Delta flight was then forced to return to the gate and did not take off again until the next morning, while the American Airlines flight arrived on time in the UK, where it was due to go .
Delta’s aircraft had to brake two to three seconds after it began to accelerate.
The pilot explained the situation to the passengers, that another plane had passed in front of them, forcing him to abort the takeoff.
The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board are currently investigating the incident.
Audio recordings suggest the American Airlines pilot did not properly follow air traffic control instructions.