Two Southwest Airlines Boeing 737 aircraft encountered a potential collision scenario at Nashville International Airport on Saturday, prompting urgent evasive actions by the flight crews involved. The incident arose during a particularly gusty day when Southwest Flight 507 was attempting to land from Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, while Southwest Flight 1152 was departing from a parallel runway bound for Knoxville.
As Flight 507 approached for landing, it was instructed to abort its landing due to the proximity of Flight 1152, which was already in the process of taking off. In an unexpected turn, the landing aircraft was directed to turn right, inadvertently moving it closer to the departing flight.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) confirmed that the crew received air traffic control instructions that placed Flight 507 directly in the path of the other jet. This resulted in both cockpits activating “resolution advisories,” which are alarms signaling pilots to take immediate evasive action to avoid a collision.
Audio recordings from air traffic control, which were captured by LiveATC.net, revealed the intensity of the moment as the aircraft crossed paths, coming alarmingly close—within just 500 feet of altitude—a fact corroborated by tracking data from Flightradar24.
Ultimately, Flight 1152 continued its departure safely, while Flight 507 successfully landed on its second attempt. A spokesperson for Southwest Airlines expressed gratitude towards the flight crews for their prompt and professional responses during the incident. They emphasized that the safety of customers and employees remains the airline’s top priority.
The FAA has initiated an investigation to determine the factors that led to the near-miss and to evaluate the air traffic control procedures in this scenario. The safety community is closely monitoring the situation as details unfold.
