The FAA is investigating Southwest Airlines for a close call at the Nashville airport

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is investigating a reported close call between two Southwest Airlines planes at Nashville International Airport after one plane was diverted into the other’s path during navigation, officials said.

According to the FAA, the incident happened around 5:30 pm on Saturday when Southwest Flight 507 approached the airport and began a go-around – a normal procedure in which the pilot pushes to land and then climbs for another attempt.

The pilot then “received instructions from air traffic control to place the aircraft in the path of another aircraft” that was departing the parallel runway. The departing flight has been identified as Southwest Flight 1152.

Both flight crews responded to traffic warnings, the FAA said, helping airlines avoid potential mid-air collisions.

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The agency noted that the information is preliminary and subject to change as the investigation continues.

Southwest Airlines described the practice as a precautionary measure and said the pilots were afraid of the weather at the time.

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Traffic moves through Nashville International Airport on Tuesday, July 25, 2023. (Photo by George Walker IV/AP)

“During approach during gusty winds at Nashville International Airport, the pilots of Southwest Flight 507 took precautionary measures,” the airline said in a statement. “During the maneuver, the pilots obeyed air traffic control instructions and the on-board traffic warning to avoid a collision with Southwest Flight 1152, which was departing from another runway.”

Flight 507 later made an emergency landing in Nashville, and Flight 1152 continued to its destination of Knoxville, Tennessee, according to the airline. No injuries were reported.

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A ramp agent guides a Southwest Airlines Boeing 737-800 to the gate. The airline said the pilots followed instructions. (Angus Mordant/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Southwest said it is working with federal authorities as part of the investigation and stressed that safety remains a priority.

The FAA did not say how close the two planes came to each other or whether any separation standards were violated. However, spatial data appears to show the planes coming within 500 feet (152 meters) of each other with one of them flying over the other plane, according to FlightRadar24, so that fits the official definition of a close air collision.

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The investigation comes amid ongoing scrutiny of near-miss incidents at US airports, particularly those involving aircraft operating on parallel runways, where communication between pilots and air traffic control is critical to maintaining safe separation.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.