A UPS cargo plane aborted its landing at Louisville’s Muhammad Ali International Airport early Tuesday morning after a small aircraft crossed the runway as it approached, federal authorities said. Air traffic control audio captured a controller directing the small plane, identified as Skylab 25, to stop before ordering the UPS aircraft to perform a go-around maneuver. No one was injured in the incident, which occurred around 12:10 a.m., according to the Federal Aviation Administration.
The near-collision at Louisville underscores recurring safety challenges at major airports nationwide. The incident comes as federal investigators prepare hearings into a November crash at the same airport involving a different UPS cargo plane that killed 14 people.
UPS Go-Around Averts Collision at Louisville
The air traffic control audio captures a controller’s urgent voice: “Skylab 25, stop!” The small aircraft complied just as a UPS cargo plane, approaching to land on the same runway, received orders to abort its descent. The incident, unfolding over seconds at Louisville’s Muhammad Ali International Airport early Tuesday morning, was another near-collision at a major U.S. aviation hub.
A small aircraft designated Skylab 25 had crossed the runway into the path of the descending cargo plane around 12:10 a.m., authorities said. The UPS pilot responded to the controller’s go-around command and executed the maneuver without incident. No one was injured.
After the UPS plane climbed away, the controller asked the small aircraft’s pilot: “Skylab 25, what are you doing?” The pilot responded: “Skylab 25, yeah, sorry about that.”
UPS said in a statement that its pilot followed standard procedures and that the incident had no impact on company operations. The Federal Aviation Administration said it was investigating the incident.
A Pattern of Close Calls
Safety lapses persist at major airports. The week before, a Frontier Airlines jet nearly collided with two airport service trucks as it taxied at Los Angeles International Airport. In Charlotte, North Carolina, an American Airlines pilot reported that he had to slam on the brakes when a truck crossed in front of him on a taxiway earlier this week.
The most serious recent incident occurred last month when an Air Canada plane landing at New York’s LaGuardia Airport struck a fire truck that had been cleared to cross the runway less than 20 seconds earlier. Both pilots were killed and dozens were injured.
Context of Recent Fatal Crash
Last November, another UPS cargo plane crashed at Louisville’s Muhammad Ali International Airport. That aircraft lost an engine while rolling down the runway for takeoff, killing 14 people.
The National Transportation Safety Board announced that it plans to hold two days of investigative hearings starting May 19 to examine the circumstances of the November crash. The inquiry will focus on why the engine separated during the takeoff roll.