In a shocking incident on Saturday, two commercial aircraft came perilously close to colliding while approaching Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, prompting a swift investigation by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). The events unfolded around 11 a.m. when Delta Flight 1070, carrying 245 passengers on board an Airbus A330-300, was cleared for landing on Runway 8, inbound from Detroit.

Simultaneously, United Flight 1724, a Boeing 737-900 flying from San Francisco with 123 passengers and six crew members, triggered a collision warning in its cockpit, adding to the tension in the air. The FAA reported that both aircraft safely landed after the incident, which involved a concerning loss of required separation between the two flights.

According to flight tracking data from Flightradar24, the planes were as close as 1,217 feet—less than a quarter mile apart—vertically separated by just 875 feet at their closest point. “Prior to that, United was descending towards the airport above Delta and began climbing again from a lowest altitude of 4,075 feet,” detailed Flightradar24 spokesperson Ian Petchenik. The situation became critical when the aircraft were lateral to each other by 0.793 miles, with just 425 feet of vertical separation.

The increasing frequency of such "runway incursions" has raised alarms within the aviation community. In fiscal 2024 alone, the FAA recorded 1,757 incidents of varying severity at U.S. airports. To combat this trend, the agency has enhanced air traffic controller training and held a summit focusing on recent close calls and controller fatigue issues.

Delta Airlines has reassured passengers that their aircraft are equipped with state-of-the-art technology designed to alert flight crews of potential conflicts with other aircraft. Following the incident, a Delta spokesperson emphasized, “Nothing is more important than safety. Our flight crews rigorously train to handle uncommon scenarios and they followed the resolution advisory as required.”

United Airlines also confirmed their full cooperation with the FAA investigation, revealing that their pilots received an automated warning to modify their altitude prior to the landing. “The pilots acted immediately and landed safely,” stated a United representative.

This alarming event adds to a string of near-misses in the aviation industry. Among the most notable was a close call at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport in 2023, where a FedEx and a Southwest Airlines plane narrowly avoided disaster, coming within just 150 feet of each other due to a faulty air traffic controller assessment of heavy fog.

Another near-collision at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York was attributed to cockpit distractions among the flight crew, underscoring the critical importance of maintaining focus in busy airspace.

As investigations continue, the aviation industry is left to ponder these dangerous incidents and the measures necessary to ensure the safety of air travel, especially as passenger numbers rise in a post-pandemic world. Stay tuned for more updates on this developing story, and remember: around 90 flights take off every minute in the U.S. Alone, a statistic worth the watch.