Florida, USA – The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is investigating a reported close call between a JetBlue Airbus A321 and a Beechcraft 76 Duchess in the Fort Lauderdale, Florida airspace, in an incident that prompted a collision avoidance alert on the commercial flight.
JetBlue Flight 1256, arriving from Guayaquil, Ecuador, was preparing to land at Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood International Airport when air traffic controllers alerted the crew that a Beechcraft 76 Duchess was operating in the area without contact with the control tower.The JetBlue crew reported receiving a collision avoidance alert as the Beechcraft appeared to turn toward the commercial aircraft, prompting the crew to climb to increase separation.The two aircraft passed within approximately one mile of each other horizontally; the FAA confirmed required separation was maintained and the JetBlue flight landed safely.The Beechcraft 76 Duchess is owned by a flight school in the Fort Lauderdale area; in a statement, the school said the pilot of the small aircraft did not do anything wrong.The FAA has opened an investigation into the incident.
Source: FAA and Media Reporting