FAA says Learjet Hop-A-Jet took off without clearance at Logan Airport Monday forcing JetBlue 206 to take evasive action and go-around. The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating a “close call” between a JetBlue flight that was preparing to land and a Learjet that took off without clearance Monday night at Boston Logan International Airport, the agency said in a statement.
The incident occurred shortly before 7 p.m. ET Monday night, the FAA said. “According to a preliminary review, the pilot of a Learjet 60 took off without clearance while JetBlue Flight 206 was preparing to land on an intersecting runway,” the statement said.
The FAA added: “An air traffic controller instructed the pilot of the Learjet to line up and wait on Runway 9 while the JetBlue Embraer 190 landed on Runway 4-Right, which intersects Runway 9. The Learjet pilot read back the instructions clearly but began a takeoff roll instead. The pilot of the JetBlue aircraft took evasive action and initiated a climb-out as the Learjet crossed the intersection.”
“The FAA will determine the closest proximity between the two aircraft as part of the investigation,” the statement said. A spokesperson for JetBlue said Tuesday in an emailed statement the flight in question performed a “go-around” before landing. A go-around is when a crew decides not to land, figuring out a different way to land or a different airport to land at. “JetBlue flight 206 landed safely in Boston after our pilots were instructed to perform a go-around by air traffic controllers,” the statement said. “Safety is JetBlue’s first priority and our crews are trained to react to situations like this. We will assist authorities as they investigate this incident.” The Learjet was a private charter operated by Hop-A-Jet, the FAA said.