Near miss at Denver

DENVER, Colorado (AP) -- A Frontier Airlines jet attempting to land Friday at Denver International Airport came within 50 feet of a smaller charter plane that had inadvertently entered the runway, federal aviation officials said.

The Frontier crew spotted the Key Lime Air plane in time, aborted the landing and continued flying until it could land the jetliner a short time later, authorities said. No injuries were reported.

Frontier and Key Lime officials declined to comment. Neither the airlines nor the investigators would say how many passengers were on the two planes. The National Transportation Safety Board and Federal Aviation Administration are investigating.

The NTSB said the Frontier Airbus A-319 from St. Louis, Missouri, had emerged from low clouds as it was about to land about 7:30 a.m. when the flight crew saw the charter plane.

The charter plane was to fly from Denver to Garfield County Regional Airport in western Colorado.

It was snowing and misty at the time, with half-mile visibility, but NTSB spokesman Ted Lopatkiewicz said there was no way to tell whether those conditions contributed to the incident.




Email from the NTSB:
Quote:
National Transportation Safety Board
Washington, DC 20594

January 5, 2007

************************************************** **********

NTSB INVESTIGATING RUNWAY INCURSION TODAY AT DENVER AIRPORT

************************************************** **********

The National Transportation Safety Board is
investigating a runway incursion today at Denver
International Airport involving two airliners.

At 7:28 a.m. MST, Frontier Airlines flight 297, an
Airbus A-319, broke out of low clouds as it was about to
land on runway 35 left. The Frontier flight crew saw a
Swearingen Metroliner, Key Lime Air flight 4216, which had
inadvertently entered the runway. The Frontier flight
immediately executed a missed approach. It is estimated
that the aircraft came within 50 feet of each other.

The Airport Movement Area Safety System (AMASS)
alerted the control tower personnel of the situation at the
same time the Frontier crew saw the Metroliner on the
runway. Weather at the time of the incident was one-half mile
visibility, ceiling 600 feet overcast, snow and mist.

The Federal Aviation Administration is assisting in
the investigation.

NTSB Press Contact: Ted Lopatkiewicz
(202) 314-6100
[email protected]