Alaska Airlines plane aborts takeoff to avoid collision at Nashville airport

An Alaska Airlines jet which was taking off from Nashville International Airport in Tennessee was forced to abort take-off to avoid a possible collision with a Southwest Airlines plane, according to officials.

The incident happened just after 9 a.m. on Thursday when Alaska Airlines Flight 369, a Boeing 737 MAX 9 with 182 people on board, was rolling down the runway to take off for a flight to Seattle, Washington.

The pilots were forced to perform an emergency stop when Southwest Airlines Flight 2029, a Boeing 737-700, was cleared to cross the end of the same runway, according to federal officials. The Alaska plane’s tires were blown as a result of the sudden brake.

“We’re grateful for the expertise of our pilots who immediately applied the brakes to prevent the incident from escalating,” Alaska Airlines said in a statement. “We’re deeply sorry for the concerning experience this created for our guests and crew members. Thankfully, no injuries were reported by our guests or crew members.”

It was not immediately clear how the incident occurred or how close the aircraft came to a possible collision on the runway. Both the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) are investigating.

“Our pilots train for these situations and they handled the situation expertly,” Alaska Airlines said. “The crew taxied the aircraft off the runway and close to the terminal where the tires deflated due to heat buildup from the rapid stop on the runway, as designed.”

Passengers were removed from the aircraft and taken back to the terminal. They were later put on a replacement flight which took them to Seattle.

I was in this flight and can confirm. Grateful our pilot had the reflexes to slam on the brakes so hard it flattened the tires! pic.twitter.com/gjEHGTrizy

— Kyle Forrester (@KyleAbrham) September 12, 2024