Investigation underway after 2 planes nearly collide on runway at JFK Airport

JAMAICA, Queens -- An investigation is underway at JFK Airport in New York after two planes nearly collided on the runway.

The FAA said the incident happened when Delta flight 300 had just landed and was taxiing to the gate on Saturday.

In the meantime, Delta flight 253 was starting to take off when Delta flight 300 started to cross onto the same runway -- blocking the path.

The departing flight had to bail out of its takeoff to avoid a potential collision.

The pilot apparently confused the air traffic controller's instructions about when to cross.

The FAA says situations like these are rare -- in all of 2019, there were more than 1,700 "runway incursions," but only two of them were serious incidents involving commercial planes.

"Everybody's been working very, very hard to prevent them. But we're dealing with human beings and humans make errors despite the best of our technology," aviation expert John Nance said.

The FAA says it is investigating what went wrong at JFK.