Releases Timeline Of Near-Miss Incident, Runway Photo

In its continuing investigation of a September 2008 runway incursion in Allentown, PA involving a general aviation aircraft and a Chicago-bound regional jet airliner, the National Transportation Safety Board issued the following updated factual information Wednesday.

On September 19, 2008, at 7:38 pm EDT, a runway incursion resulted in a near-collision on runway 6 at the Lehigh Valley International Airport, Allentown, Pennsylvania. Mesa Air Shuttle flight 7138, a Canadair CRJ-700 (N506MJ) aborted takeoff at about 120 knots (138 mph), skidding around a Cessna R172K (N736GV) that had just landed and was still taxiing on the runway.

The crew of the Mesa Air regional jet estimated the distance between the two aircraft as 10 feet when they passed. (NTSB released a photo of the skid marks left by the CRJ, below.)

The Mesa Air flight carried 56 passengers and a crew of four; the Cessna carried a pilot and two passengers. There was no damage to either aircraft and no reported injuries. The incident occurred in night meteorological conditions.

A timeline of the incident events is as follows:

• 7:29:28 - Cessna contacts Allentown tower while about 8 miles east of the airport.
• 7:33:30 - Cessna, in landing pattern for runway, is cleared to land on runway 6.
• 7:34:50 - Mesa Air regional jet contacts tower and reports ready for takeoff and holding short of runway 6. Controller instructs pilot to hold short of runway 6 for landing traffic.
• 7:36:15 - Cessna crosses threshold of runway 6 and lands.
• 7:36:27 - Mesa Air instructed by tower controller to taxi into position on runway 6 and hold.
• 7:36:36 - Tower controller asks pilot of Cessna where he intends to park. Following pilot response, controller provides taxi directions, instructing pilot to exit runway at taxiway A4.
• 7:37:11 - Mesa Air cleared for takeoff.
• 7:37:18 to 7:37:32 - Controller turns attention to an inbound aircraft and issues landing instructions.
• 7:37:34 - Cessna pilot informs tower controller that he had missed the A4 taxiway and asks for permission to exit at taxiway B.
• 7:37:42 - Controller replies, "...no delay, turn immediately," which Cessna pilot acknowledges.
• 7:38:16 - Mesa Air radios tower controller: "We got it, tower - we're going to need to go back to the gate."

Following the incident, both aircraft taxied to parking. The Mesa Air crew elected to cancel the flight and have the aircraft inspected. The Cessna taxied to general aviation parking and concluded the flight.

Board investigators have interviewed the pilots involved in the incident, and the air traffic controllers on duty at the time of the incident as well as the FAA tower managers.

FMI: www.ntsb.gov