An Alaska Airlines passenger jet and a cargo plane has been reported to have a "near miss" Tuesday after coming within a quarter mile of each other over Anchorage's Fire Island south of the city's main airport, the National Transportation Safety Board stated.
Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 inbound from Portland, Ore., was lining up to land at Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport when pilots received instructions from air traffic controllers instructing them to perform a "go around," Agency spokesman Clint Johnson said.
The order was given to avoid an Ace Air Cargo Beechcraft 1900 prop-jet taking off for Sand Point from the airport's north-south runway, UK MailOnline reported.
As both the passenger jet and the cargo planed turned in the same direction, the aircrafts passed within a quarter mile of each other at the same elevation, Johnson said.
The Alaska Airlines Flight 135, carrying 143 passengers and five crew members, landed safely.
However, the close proximity of the aircraft was enough for the agency to count the incident as a "near miss."
The proximity of the aircrafts led one pilot to spot the other plane, Johnson said.
According to UK MailOnline, he said the NTSB's investigation, which has just begun, is being headed up by a senior air traffic control specialist based in Washington, D.C.
The Ace aircraft was aware of the situation and in contact with the control tower the whole time, Todd Erickson, Ace Air Cargo's chief pilot, said.
"There was no danger," Erickson said, according to Alaska Dispatch. "Once Alaska Airlines radioed they had the 1900 in sight, our crew had no cause for concern."
Since Boeing 737 aircraft was equipped with a collision avoidance system, crew was alerted of the proximity of the other aircraft, a spokeswoman for Alaska Airlines said.
This prompted the pilots to increase altitude.
