Air traffic controller stops Southwest jet from taking off from Orlando taxiway
March 21 (UPI) -- Federal agencies are investigating after a Southwest Airlines jet nearly took off from a taxiway instead of a runway at Orlando International Airport.
After 9:30 a.m. Thursday, Flight 3278 stopped safely on a taxiway after the crew "mistook the surface for the nearby runway" the airline said.
An air traffic controller canceled the takeoff clearance as the plane started to accelerate on the parallel taxiway instead of the runway.
No injuries were reported.
The flight was bound for Albany, N.Y.
All the travelers were put on another flight, with a new crew, the airline said.
This taxiway error pushed the takeoff to 1:10 p.m. with arrival to 3:31 p.m.
The Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board are investigating the incident.
"Southwest is engaged with the NTSB and FAA to understand the circumstances of the event," an airline spokesperson said.
The airline said it also is investigating.
"Nothing is more important to Southwest than the safety of our customers and employees," the airline said.
Planes use taxiways to get to runways from gates and hangars.
"The taxiway runs parallel to the runway," the FAA said in a statement. "No other aircraft were involved. The FAA is investigating.
Orlando International Airport, with four parallel runways, is the busiest airport in Florida and seventh busiest airport in the nation. At the airport there are more than 850 daily flights on 44 airlines servicing 135 domestic and international destinations, according to a website about the airport.
Southwest's market share at the Orlando airport is No. 1 at 25% with an average of 260 daily flights, followed by Spirit at 14%, according to Simply Flying.
Southwest, with 700 aircraft, operates 4,000 flights a day.
On Feb. 25, Southwest Flight 2504 and a private jet nearly collided at Chicago's Midway International Airport.
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