Investigation underway after 2 planes nearly collide in close call at JFK airport
The planes missed each other by just 1,000 feet.
NEW YORK -- The FAA and NTSB plan to investigate a near disaster at New York's JFK airport after two passenger planes almost collided, coming within a thousand feet of each other.
Panicked air traffic controllers noticed the two planes converging Friday around 8:45 pm.
According to the FAA, a Delta 737, which was headed to the Dominican Republic, was getting ready to take off with 145 passengers and six crew members aboard.
The Delta flight accelerated to 115 miles per hour down runway 4-left, but just as the pilot was about to take off, an American Airlines 777 jet, bound for London, crossed its path.
The planes missed each other by just 1,000 feet.
The Delta jet forced to abruptly abort take off, avoiding a potential deadly disaster.
"Great job by the air traffic controller here, who prevented what could have been the worst aviation disaster in American history," said ABC News consultant Col Stephen Ganyard.
Luckily, there are no reported injuries and the passengers on both flights continued onto their destinations.
Delta Airlines releasing a statement saying, in part: "The safety of our customers and crew is always deltas number one priority. We apologize to our customers for the inconvenience and delay of their travels."
The FAA has already launched an investigation into the near-collision, and the NTSB plans to launch one as well.
