Delta flight forced to hit brakes when another jet lands on same runway
Passengers on a Delta Air Lines flight from Mexico City to Atlanta experienced a jolt this week when the pilots were forced to hit the brakes before takeoff as another jet landed on the same runway, airline officials confirmed.
Delta flight 590 departed the gate at 7 a.m. local time on Monday, July 21, and was accelerating to takeoff at Benito Juárez Mexico City International Airport when the incident took place, according to Delta and information from theonline site Flight Aware, which tracks flight paths.
The Boeing 737-800 aircraft had 144 passengers on board, including two pilots and four flight attendants, Delta spokesperson Morgan Durrant told Paste BN.
The plane had just started to roll for takeoff when a regional Aeromexico jet flew over the Delta flight and landed in front of it on the same runway, forcing the Delta pilots to hit the brakes.
Aeromexico Flight 1691 arrived from the city of Aguascalientes, online tracking shows.
"As the flight crew was initiating the takeoff, they observed another aircraft landing in front of their aircraft on the same runway," Durrant said.
No injuries were reported.
Delta near-collision reported to FAA, NTSB
After taking on additional fuel and conferring with Delta safety and flight operations officials, the plane eventually departed for Atlanta at 9:42 a.m. local time and arrived at 3:20 p.m. ET, Durrant said.
“Because nothing is more important than the safety of our customers and people, Delta will fully cooperate with authorities as the circumstances around this flight are investigated," Delta released in a statement on Wednesday, July 23. "We appreciate the flight crew’s actions to maintain situational awareness and act quickly."
According to Delta, the airline reported the incident to the Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation Safety Board.
Paste BN has reached out to both federal agencies.
Natalie Neysa Alund is a senior reporter for Paste BN. Reach her at nalund@usatoday.com and follow her on X @nataliealund.