A UPS plane had to abort its landing after a Labcorp plane approached the runway at Louisville International Airport in Kentucky, the site of a fatal cargo plane crash last year.
A Labcorp aircraft was on the taxiway and was told to wait near Runway 17 for the UPS aircraft to land. The Labcorp pilot agreed, but the aircraft then slightly overshot the holding bar, triggering the air traffic control tower’s alarm system.
The tower ordered the Labcorp aircraft to stop, which it did. The UPS plane was about 125 feet above the ground and was told to go around.
“What are you doing?” an air traffic controller can be heard asking the Labcorp pilot in audio obtained by CBS News.
“Sorry,” the Labcorp pilot replied.
Data from aircraft tracking website FlightRadar24 shows the Labcorp plane never actually entered the runway.
In another recording, the pilots of the UPS plane can be heard telling air traffic controllers that they were unable to communicate with the Labcorp pilots and were planning a go-around even before being ordered to do so.
“Everyone can go home at night,” an air traffic controller said.
UPS said in a statement that its pilots acted “in accordance with standard procedures” and that the incident had “no operational impact.”
The Federal Aviation Administration said UPS and Labcorp aircraft maintained “required separation.” The incident occurred around 12:10 pm local time on Tuesday, according to the FAA.
The incident is the latest in a series of near misses at U.S. airports, nearly five months after a UPS cargo plane crashed on takeoff in Louisville, killing 14 people, including the three pilots on board.
