An ambulance came within 173 feet of a Southwest Airlines Boeing 737 during its takeoff roll at Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport (BWI).
Less than one-half of a football pitch separated the ambulance from the moving plane. A review of the event by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) reveals that in January, an Aircraft Rescue and Fire Fighting (ARFF) truck crossed Runway 15R without receiving permission from air traffic control (ATC). Moments before, the same runway had been cleared for the Southwest flight to take off. According to the FAA's research, "the closest estimated horizontal separation occurred at a distance of 173 feet."
Air traffic control records made available by LiveATC.net depict the moment on January 12, 2023, around 1:50 p.m., when the Southwest flight was given the go-ahead to take off. A few seconds later, the fire and rescue truck was given the all-clear to cross Runway 10 and was told to "stay short" of Runway 15R, but the ambulance's driver relayed back to ATC, "Tower 349, crossing 10 and 15R."According to the FAA, the air traffic controller did not notice the improper read-back.
After the problem was discovered, the air traffic controller quickly advised the ambulance driver to stick to Runway 10. The ambulance had at this time crossed Runway 15R and was on a nearby taxiway. "Before getting to the spot where the car crossed, the plane took off. When the airborne plane flew over that intersection, the vehicle was, according to the FAA, about 170 feet past the runway. BWI spokesperson Jonathan Dean verified the event in a letter to DC News Now.