Southwest Airlines Flight Narrowly Avoids Collision with Private Jet at Chicago Midway Airport

A Southwest Airlines flight from Omaha narrowly avoided a collision with a private jet at Chicago's Midway International Airport on Tuesday morning. Video footage captured the Southwest flight abruptly aborting its landing just inches from the ground to avoid the business jet that was taxiing across the runway. The Southwest plane then climbed skyward, flying over the business jet at an altitude of approximately 250 feet.

Air traffic control recordings revealed that the private jet had been cleared to cross one runway but hold at another. The pilot of the private jet initially repeated the instructions incorrectly but later corrected themselves. However, about 30 seconds later, the Southwest pilot announced they were "going around" to avoid a potential collision.

Southwest Airlines confirmed the incident, stating that the crew of the Boeing 737 Max8 performed a precautionary go-around to avoid a possible conflict with the other aircraft. The business jet was identified as a FlexJet Bombardier Challenger bound for Knoxville, Tennessee.

Both Southwest Airlines and FlexJet confirmed their awareness of the incident and stated that investigations were underway. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) also confirmed the incident and stated that the business jet had "entered the runway without authorization." The incident is currently under investigation.

The Southwest flight, which originated in Omaha, Nebraska, landed safely without further incident. The incident occurred at around 8:50 a.m. local time at Chicago Midway Airport, a major hub for Southwest Airlines.

Runway incursions, while rare, have seen an increase as air travel has rapidly recovered post-pandemic. In 2024, the rate of serious runway incursions decreased from a high in 2023, dropping from 0.4 per one million airport operations to 0.124 per million operations.

Former National Transportation Safety Board chair and CBS News transportation safety analyst Robert Sumwalt commented on the incident, stating that multiple layers of defense typically keep the aviation system safe. However, he noted that recent incidents like this highlight the need for vigilance and the importance of the final layer of defense – the actions of pilots – in preventing serious accidents.