An American Airlines fight nearly struck an Air Canada flight after it veered off its approach path as it was approaching New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport.The incident occurred Tuesday around 2:30 p.m. local time when a Republic Airways flight, operated by American Airlines, changed its course on its approach to land, resulting in air traffic control scrambling to divert the Air Canada jet in its path.Air traffic control instructed the Jazz Aviation jet, operating for Air Canada Express, to climb to 3,000 feet in order to avoid the airplane about to enter its airspace.According to local outlets, the planes got so close that the onboard proximity alarms on both planes were set off.The pilots from both jets acknowledged the warnings from air traffic controllers and their own alarms and initiated go-arounds.Preliminary data shows that the planes came within 350 feet vertically away from one another and within less than a kilometre horizontally..Both planes successfully completed go-arounds, circled back, and landed safely at the New York airport."On approach into New York (JFK), Flight 8554 en route from Toronto (YYZ), the flight crew received a traffic warning notification and resolution as well as direction from ATC, and the crew took immediate action," an Air Canada spokesperson said in a statement to City News.This incident comes just one month after the fatal crash at neighbouring LaGuardia Airport in which an Air Canada Express jet collided with a ground crew firetruck, killing both the pilots and resulting in 39 injuries.
