An American Airlines flight headed to Bermuda aborted its takeoff in Miami Saturday evening after a business jet entered the same runway, getting as close as a third of a mile apart at one point.
American Airlines Flight 308 stopped takeoff “after receiving clearance” when the flight crew observed another aircraft on the runway, an airline spokesperson told CNN Saturday.
A tense exchange between the business jet pilot and an air traffic controller ensued when the incident happened around 6 p.m. ET, air traffic control audio shows.
“You just crossed an active runway,” the controller said, according to a LiveATC.com recording of air traffic control audio.
“You just told me to cross the runway, sir,” the pilot said.
“No, we said Amerijet 461,” the controller responds.
American Airlines aborts takeoff in Miami after a business jet entered same runway
The aborted takeoff is the latest in a string of recent aviation incidents heading into the Fourth of July holiday. On Friday, a United Airlines passenger jet nearly collided with a drone as it was coming in to land in New Jersey, its pilot said.
NetJets Flight EJA434, the business jet, was being operationally controlled by a third-party maintenance vendor when the incident happened, according to the private aviation company.
“We appreciate the quick actions of our crew members and thank our customers for their understanding,” American Airlines said in the statement.
The flight later departed for Bermuda, the spokesperson said.
CNN has reached out to the Federal Aviation Administration for comment.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
