FAA Probes Near-Collision at Reagan National Airport

The Federal Aviation Administration is opening an investigation after two passenger airliners nearly collided on a runway at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, the second such incident in six weeks.

On Wednesday, at about 10:20 a.m., American Airlines flight 2134 received clearance for takeoff while a King Air flight was simultaneously cleared to land on a crossing runway.

The American Airlines flight takeoff was quickly canceled, narrowly avoiding a collision between the two planes.

However, the aircraft had already accelerated to nearly 100 miles per hour on the runway before the aborted takeoff, prompting maintenance inspection. The flight to Boston experienced a delay of several hours before finally departing.

“The safety of our customers and team members is our top priority, and we’re grateful to our crew for their professionalism. We will support the FAA in its investigation,” American Airlines said in a statement.

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“I’m relieved no one was hurt. But this incident underscores again that DCA is at capacity,” Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA) said in a post on X. “This shows why Senate action to jam even more flights into DCA was so dangerous. The FAA must resist any new flights that compromise safety.”

Despite strong opposition from Virginia and Maryland lawmakers, the House passed the FAA reauthorization bill this month, which included the addition of five long-distance flight slots to the airport.