Passenger Jet From Orange County Involved in Arizona Near-Collision
The pilot of an America West airliner that departed from John Wayne Airport with 96 passengers aboard took evasive action to avoid a small plane near Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, officials said.
Air traffic controllers warned the pilot of Flight 1243 that there was traffic in the area as the Boeing 737 approached the Phoenix runway Sunday night, said Daphne Dicino, an America West spokeswoman.
Larry Berg, a Federal Aviation Administration duty officer in Los Angeles, said the incident wasn’t immediately reported by either pilot. Under FAA rules, such encounters aren’t counted as near-collisions until they are reported by a plane’s crew.
Berg was unable to provide further information and said he did not know what kind of small aircraft was involved.
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