CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) - A Southwest Airlines plane landing at Midway Airport this morning was forced to avoid a private jet.
Online video captured the moment, a Southwest plane from Omaha beginning to descend onto the runway and then suddenly elevating as a private jet emerged in its path.
Southwest Airlines confirmed the incident and the issued the following statement:
“Southwest Airlines Flight 2504 landed safely at Chicago Midway Airport on Tuesday morning after the Crew performed a precautionary go-around to avoid a possible conflict with another aircraft that entered the runway. The Crew followed safety procedures and the flight landed without incident. Nothing is more important to Southwest than the Safety of our Customers and Employees.”
The private jet belonged to Flexjet Airlines. They issued the following statement:
"We are aware of the occurrence today in Chicago. Flexjet adheres to the highest safety standards and we are conducting a thorough investigation. Any action to rectify and ensure the highest safety standards will be taken."
Based on aviation audio from liveatc.net, it appears the FlexJet plane violated an order by air traffic control to not cross an active runway.
WBBM is awaiting comment from the Federal Aviation Administration.
This is a developing story. Stay tuned to WBBM Newsradio for an update.