On August 14, 2023, an American Airlines flight was forced to abort its takeoff at Boston's Logan International Airport after a Spirit Airlines plane got too close to the runway hold line. The incident occurred when air traffic control noticed Spirit Airlines flight NK 1444 approaching the runway hold the line and decided to cancel the takeoff clearance for American Airlines Flight 457Q "out of an abundance of caution".
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After the incident, the American Airlines flight returned to the gate and took off about 90 minutes later. The Spirit flight was arriving from Atlanta. Both airlines have responded to the incident, with American Airlines apologizing for the delays in customers' travel plans and Spirit stating that they will provide all necessary assistance to the FAA to investigate how and why it happened.
Passengers onboard the American Airlines flight were frightened by the experience. Cosmo Roswell, a passenger on the flight, described it as "terrifying" and said that he felt a jolt and a sudden deceleration when the plane hit the brakes. This is not the first time that the FAA has had to investigate incidents at Boston's Logan International Airport. Earlier this year, a Learjet took off from the airport without necessary clearance, resulting in a near collision with a JetBlue flight.
Aborted takeoffs are not uncommon and are required when an aircraft is already speeding down the runway but needs to come to a halt before reaching the end of the runway. However, incidents like this one serve as a reminder of the importance of safety protocols and procedures in air travel.