Weekend Near-Miss Pitted Skyhawk v. CRJ

The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating a runway incursion Friday evening in Allentown, Pennsylvania involving a general aviation aircraft and a Chicago-bound regional jet airliner.

At 7:45 p.m. on September 19, a Cessna R172K (N736GV) was on a landing roll on runway 6 at the Lehigh Valley International Airport when the pilot was instructed to exit the runway at taxiway A4. Mesa Airlines flight 7138, a CRJ- 700 (N506MJ), already instructed to position and hold on the same runway, was then given clearance by the same controller to take off.

During the takeoff roll, the Mesa crew heard the Cessna pilot say that he'd missed the taxiway A4 turnoff and ask to exit at taxiway B. The Mesa crew saw the Cessna ahead on the runway and aborted the takeoff at about 120 knots, swerving around the Cessna. The Mesa crew estimated that they missed colliding with the Cessna by about 10 feet.

Night visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and there were no reported injuries to the 60 persons aboard the jet or those aboard the Cessna.

FMI: www.ntsb.gov