The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating a close call at LaGuardia Airport after a business jet took off without clearance while a Delta regional flight was preparing to land on an intersecting runway, forcing the Delta aircraft to perform a go-around.
The incident occurred on October 7 just before 4 p.m. According to flight tracking data from Flightradar24, the two aircraft came within approximately 1,000 feet of each other at their closest point. The Delta regional plane was traveling at about 147 mph when its crew initiated the go-around maneuver, while the business jet was traveling at approximately 103 mph.
Audio recordings from Air Traffic Control reveal a disagreement between the controller and the business jet pilot regarding whether the jet had received clearance to take off. Delta said in a statement that "the crew initiated a go-around to ensure safe spacing with a departing aircraft on a nearby runway." The flight subsequently landed safely.
The FAA's investigation is ongoing as authorities work to determine the circumstances that led to the unauthorized takeoff and the sequence of events that brought the two aircraft into close proximity during the incident.