Terrifying Moments as Two Massive Jets Nearly Collide on a Foggy Providence Runway (With Real Audio) 

Yes sure👍👍👍 salute to them!!!

Bravo BRAVO To that crew....talk about making the RIGHT call.

Bravo

Bravo!!

Including their own!

The correct answer to give when things don't add up. Not pilot god, but a pilot that knows his job and the inherent dangers of it. In the end the captain of the plane has the last word, and he used his the way it should have been. In that situation, if the potential for a fuckfest is not zero or less, choose the safer choice. Sit it out until things are sorted out.

Great piloting, but please don't call any human being God.

@@jamespenny9482 correct, because there is no god. Not wise to call a human by unexisting imaginatory things.

@@user-rw7xg6wg1h In plain English, please.

@@Pdor_figlio_di_Kmer At least in 19th or 20th century English, if 21st century isn't available. I give evangelicals a huge part of the blame for the USA being as messed up as it currently is.

Exactly what i was thinking

She had heavy fog and no ground to tell her where planes were or werent. What I want to know is was she the only person in the tower? Handling everything? Like wtf. This airport is ass backwards. Cannot blame it all on her. She sounded incredibly stressed.

@@theaveragesimmer4780 if she had just listened for 2 seconds she would have realized what was going on and acted accordingly

@@Browhoisyou well again, your comment goes back to my question of if she was the only controller in the tower. Ever done that job? Ever done it alone?

@@theaveragesimmer4780 well then you STOP EVERYTHING on the airport and figure out what's going on you do not just assume everything is where it is supposed to be and continue as normal

can you give a link about that ?

That’s great! They actually got an award ! Wow

Medal to the pilot and unemployment for the ATC

@@asdf3568 She was relocated. Not unemployment. She had additional training.

@@bambicrandi you must know her pretty good

Maybe. But the pilot told her that he was on 23R the first time when he was actually on 23L, that's why she was confused. 23R wasn't an active runway. He misspoke at 7:12 and said 23R. She shouldn't have cleared the other flight for takeoff without more confirmation, but the United pilot is partially to blame.

She's not insane. Politics put her where she wasn't comfortable.

@@iamtheowl9631 doesn't matter. He was clearly confused. Your job as the controller is to confirm 100% there's no one on an active runway before clearing other aircraft to take off. Also, "someone just took off" is pretty clear to me

@@thehair9236 Yes, she clearly holds most of the blame. But let’s not pretend that this pilot doesn’t need some training. If you are almost struck by an aircraft you need to say that, not “someone just took off.” Then you add the fact that he miss read the sign and said the wrong runway. He holds some of the blame also.

​@@iamtheowl9631 Yes but 1448 later said they were on 23L then the controller cut off the pilot before they could explain themselves then cleared a jet full of people to take off on 23L. Staggering negligence. When the takeoff clearance was given 1448 EXPLICITELY said they were on an active runway. Still... again gives takeoff clearance. Why is it everyone else listening in, that night, can figure out the obvious danger except the controller? The controller who won't be killed in a fiery crash if these two planes collide on the runway.

Yep! That guy deserves a gold star. Hope he got one!

Exactly he just stated that he's staying clear, great awareness this is was the most logical thing to do kiddos to the us air pilot 🙏🎉🍻

@Gurumurthy V Also the USA pilot remained calm and stuck to his guns on that decision. Cool, calm, and collected. A seasoned, aware, and confident Captain.

We thought you worked at a bowling alley. Where did you get your training?

Yes, oftentimes it DOES PAY to ignore what the ATC tower orders you to do. Go ... WITH ... YOUR ... GUT!

she was looking for her CYA manuel

She was right because 1448 kept saying at 07:14 that they are at 23R which doesn't correctly describe his position. 737 pilot realises the inconsistency at 09:53 and says that pilot doesn't even know where he is therefore makes 1448 to recheck at his position at 09:59 when asked then he changes at 10:05 that he is on 23L. It's like saying hey, I'm in London next to World Trade Center which confuses the controller. Then the other pilot says he doesn't know where he is. Then he corrects that with, I'm in NYC next to World Trade Center then now everyone speaks the same language. He was the problem here. The controller was dealing with what she was being told and 23R is not 23L.

@@BS-kl9yf Yeah, but the pilot ALSO told ATC that he was on an active runway and that "someone just took off" right in front of him. ATC should've figured out right there and then that he wasn't on the cleared runway and should've calmly handled the situation to avoid further confusion but she acted like a bitch instead, disregarding what the pilot was saying with an "I'm right, you're wrong" mentality, even clearing the other plane for take-off. There was no need for her hostility, that isn't what she is trained to do. She shouldn't be on that job. Even the US Air crew knew what was happening and it wasn't even their job.

@@abnnizzy 06:26 that is what she was doing. Told them to stop so that she can figure out. If you read my comment well you would understand that her trying to figure out was complicated with contradictory information. She cleared the flight knowing 1448 is lost on 23R. So she was trying to locate where on 23R. The others were on 23L. The whole airport doesn't come to a halt because someone on the entry gate is lost, those who are exiting continue. But if they say they are around exit route, that is when you stop exit! Common sense. Everyone is just mad because she shouted, but you forgetting she was being pushed by continuous wrong information that didn't add up. The person who solved this situation is the person who caused it when he gave the correct information. Problem solved at the source.

@@BS-kl9yf The moment the pilot said "I'm on an active runway" and "someone just took off" , yes, the airport should've come to a halt. Even more so with contradictory information, cause if the pilot is saying he is on 23R, which isn't an active runway, but he is seeing some other plane take off right in front of him, anyone smart enough would've figured out that he isn't where he is supposed to be. Instead, she acted like Ms. Kown It All with a "lol ur not" attitude and procceded to clear the other pilot for take off. If it wasn't for said pilot common sense to not move and the female pilot to take charge and confront ATC, this would've been a disaster.

Yelp

Lol

Its their fault in the first place for not knowing where the fuck they were

@@hurpaderpp yes, but you also need to factor in the fact that its dark, in thick fog, and an unfamiliar airport.

@@hurpaderpp Yes their mistake started the whole problem, but the controller instead of listening to the information UA was trying to convey decided to continue to give clearance for takeoff on a runway that United reported several times they were blocking. A disaster never is caused by a single event, there is always a chain of multiple critical events leading up to it. United ended up on an active runway, then realized their mistake when a FedEx takes off above them. They then convey that they are on a live runway to the controller, and for whatever reason the controller decides to ignore the info despite UA warning them about their incursion and clear another aircraft for takeoff before confirming that the runway she was giving clearance for was clear. The break in the chain in events was when USAir declined the clearance not once, but twice, because they had the awareness to realize that something was not right with the situation. Had they accepted clearance and taken off, we would unfortunately be watching a new episode of Seconds From Disaster

To look

@@tanishcqmehta9984 Controller did a poor job and they certainly can be blamed. Very clear confusion amongst the pilots and ATC can’t just go ahead when it’s obvious the pilots aren’t sure with themselves. She was warned of a confused aircraft on an active runway. She’s lucky it wasn’t a crash because she would’ve been in serious trouble. It’s clear she lost her cool and the other aircraft had no faith in her and therefore refused take off clearance.

@@tanishcqmehta9984 listen to it again - they very clearly explained where they were when they realized they were on active runway and she told them to be quiet and that she had other things to take care of - proceeds to clear plan AGIAN for takeoff

did the controller get fired?

@@tanishcqmehta9984 United pilots told ATC they saw a plane took off near them and they were on an active runway, while at that time only ONE runway is in active condition, but ATC still cleared the takeoff for USAir when she could not figure out the exact location of United, you think the controller is innocent???

Had the aircraft that took off over the other aircraft on ground know that it was there before pulling up it would of been better to hear their cockpit voice recorder as they approached the near collision

Please tell me she was fired...

@@rich_edwards79 the pilot? Prob not, but should have been. Both of them.

@@MACQ98 no the atc lady 🙃

@@rich_edwards79 probably not. The controller was one link in a chain. Retrained? Definitely. But you can be sure she’ll never make that mistake again.

Very well deserved! Towards the end I was thinking I must post and ask if that pilot had received any recognition for refusing to take off. First comment I saw was yours, already answering my question. Thank you so much for sharing this information.

@@FinnishLapphund Ditto! Multiple thumbs-up regarding this incident!

Ohh Wonderful!!! They deserve it

Its good to see a pilot take the RIGHT action here and save many lives!

The USAair pilot made the right choice at the right time. That ATC chick should have been written up for not paying attention to the communication of the lost pilots and clearing another flight to take off. Glad that pilot overroad her demand

Novice!🤣

@@stephencarlsbad excuse him for not having owl eyes, and anti fog advanced systems, you're literally calling names for something every normal person would say

@@anasl4pf Anus calm down, I was ribbing the guy. Obviously, he's a skilled pilot. 😄

@@stephencarlsbad ive seen this joke like thousands time and i laughed the first time now its just meeeh

@@anasl4pf (sigh) oh'kay...

Absolutely !! ATC should have grasped the situation earlier.

The USair 737 pilot was the hero of the day. Once he sensed the confusion, he correctly decided that there was no way he was going to take-off despite getting clearance.

@@mikeweaver8790 Absolutely, he probably saved many lives.

They had just landed

He's worked w females enough to know yes... while equality is cool and everything... they are prone to EMOTIONAL stress. And when one is being emotional u gotta give them space! (Hence her telling everyone to 'be quiet' like a mom chaperone a sleepover)

She clearly wanted to but the pilot told her nope! That pilot deserves free Beers for life!

She was doing all she could to make it worse while acting like a stroppy teacher at the same time.

She wanted to show everyone who was boss. She wasn’t listening. Good thing the pilots stood their ground.

She should have been fired and made a public example of

that was the devil occupying a human for a time.... jesus Christ lol

Seriously. Hope she is nowhere near an airport right now. Unless she's mopping bathroom stalls.

She was confused. The United 1448 pilots were telling her that 1448 was on Runway 23Right, when in fact 1448 was on Runway 23Left. She placed too much credence in the information 1448 was giving her. Also United 1448 did not clearly tell her “We have made a wrong turn” when they knew they had.

Can we guess the name of the atc controller? Begins with K... LOL

She just wanted to go home early😂

@@timonsolus that is why she should have remained calm and act professional, regardless of what they didn't tell her, they infact said, "someone just took off", that is more than enough reason to treat the situation with more serious urgency, she should have been fired or suspended period.

In the extended version of this conversation between them and ATC they actually continued holding short until United had reached their gate, just to be extra safe.

Hopefully sacked.

Exactly. Has she not watched the flight channel's worst aviation disaster in history. The Dutch captain who failed from the same "don't tell me I know better" attitude. Holy h.

A controller’s job is to control. She is supposed to be authoritative.

@@timonsolus Whilst true, she was ignorant of the information other pilots were giving her and adamant she had the picture right in her head which made her disregard what she was hearing.

@@timonsolus Authority is one thing, argumentative stupidity is another.

What gets me is, she did take pilot's report of his location at face value. They said they were on 23 RIGHT. The only time they say 23 LEFT before USAir gets involved, the transmission is blocked. She tells everyone to shut up and stand by for a minute to clear her head and try and get it straight, but United continues to talk on frequency, and is also giving her incorrect information. That is the 'ground everyone' moment you're asking for, you missed it. Unfortunately she was given incorrect information. To the controller, the pilots are on 23 Right, as reported, and they seem to be wanting to make sure that 23R (where they reported they are) is not an active runway. This is reinforced by her clarification that 23R is a taxiway under IFR conditions. She then clears USAir as United self reported their position to be at the intersection of 23 RIGHT and 16, nowhere near 05R where USAir was taking off from. In my opinion the root cause in the chain of events was an insufficient after-landing briefing. Call me paranoid, but in that low of visibility I would have been checking headings as I taxied. That would have prevented them getting past the bend on Bravo and back onto 05R in the first place. Yeah, they should have been expecting a left turn, but not that quickly after exiting, and also not that sharp a turn. It should have felt wrong and caused them to halt on Bravo. That being said, the root cause of something does not always have the most impact on its outcome, or indicate where blame should ultimately lie, in this case, the self reporting system for low vis conditions completely broke down, exposing the weakness of a such a system, when one party is intimately familiar with the airport (ATC), and there's only a chance of that for the other party (the pilots of UA1448). There is a bunch of second guessing, but rarely the right amount, and rarely at the right time. But that second guessing does sometimes save lives (USAir)

@@schwig44 maybe more signage and closer together would help?

@@englishmadcow7461 If placed properly, sure, but the thing is, the signage is already up to snuff in terms of the regulations. This incident was a result of multiple complicating factors, primarily being the inoperative ground radar. Like I mentioned above, this would have never happened had the pilots been checking the heading they are pointing towards throughout the taxi procedure, and requires no additional equipment. If we want to talk about new equipment though, I just threw a sloppy design together in my head for a system of magnetic field emitters on the field and hall effect sensors on the planes to 'code' a magnetic signature to each taxiway, the hall effect sensors would be able to read the signatures, and interpret it thanks to an onboard database. This would enable the plane to display the current taxiway (or even ramps, etc) on the NAV display, which certainly should have alerted the United pilots to their error, but it could also be coupled with CPDLC (built into the plane text messaging for getting clearances) to ensure that the plane is complying with the given taxi clearances. It would be a similar principle to standard radio navigation, but without congesting the already overwhelmed bands

@@schwig44 I'm so sorry, I'm not looking to buy aviation aids. I don't drive or fly. But thank you for replying.

@@englishmadcow7461 that's a shame, you were my best lead on funding so far

Agree! He made it a concerted effort instead 😊

The United crew made the wrong turn into an active runway, idiot! The controller was slow and confused, but it was the United crew's mistake.

She didn’t initially make the mistake though. United took a wrong turn. Her problem was thinking she knew everything and refusing to really listen when she heard something that made no sense at all (‘somebody just took off’ at an inactive runway, among various other strange things said that didn’t add up with her mental picture of where everyone was).

It’s funny how your mind works when you are convinced that you are right and other person is wrong that you will ignore the danger. This is not uncommon.

@@jaknap1 what's that phrase, "only a fool is SURE"?!

@@jaknap1 VERY true!

@@jaknap1 Better safe than sorry. I'd rather lose time and make sure the runway is clear. I said elsewhere they ought to just have people in carts come out and guide planes in heavy fog. It sounds stupid, but planes ending up on active runways is a bad deal.

Id rather be judged by 12 than carried by 6.

Absolutely! How can you have planes taking off and landing when there is potentially another plane sitting in the middle of the runway??

@@ZenkaiAnkoku2 AGREED

@JafoCharlie Dude you're righteous as fuck!

This. And we're not talking about the Marfa municipal airport. If you've got a staffed tower, safe bet you've got somebody else wandering around that could be in a car with a radio going to confirm any situation where there's even the slightest confusion, and/or lead the aircraft to where it needs to be.

@@kd5nrh Amen dude Amen!!!

US air 2998: I’m going to pretend I didn’t see that

Great captain on the US air declining take off out of an abundance of caution. The Air Traffic controller should have been disciplined and retrained keeping that plane on an active runway.

US Air pilots did a spectacular and professional job, Kudo's to them, I am wondering if the Fedex plane ever saw the united plane and then why the controller did not ask them?

Nah, Tenerife was way worse.

A true professional pilot refused take off clearance, twice.

You just have to pay attention. It’s not difficult. You literally are the person the tells pilots when they can and can’t take off or land. Therefore, as long as you act professional and don’t get lazy, it’s not hard.

ROFLMAO

@@michaelscott33in fairness, a plane took a wrong turn and the ATC had zero visibility. She def didn’t seem in control though. Clearing another flight for takeoff was insanity.

Maybe she just got confused but I agree, but maybe not get fired

Indeed the controller is not capable.

Agree, incompetent.

A typical social media comment. She should be retrained and by now...there is ground radar.

@@weiSane being confused and still giving takeoff clearance versus being confused and holding everyone until you figure out what's going on are two totally different things.

That still absolutely blows my mind.

I would have been like.. Bitch i just saw an airplane take off and almost hit us. ...

@@davidholman6276 Exactly my thoughts

What gets me is, if she is relying on the pilots to self report their locations, there should never be a situation where the pilots identify themselves at a spot and the ATC declines to accept that as an answer. Remember ATC, you are BLIND at the moment. If something doesn't make sense, ground everyone until you regain a mental map of where everyone is. No assumptions.

Yeah, "The runway you're on isn't active even though I don't know which runway you're on, so stop talking!".

"I want you to tell me you're where I told you to go, otherwise you're wrong and need to standby [for impact]." - Bullying people while willfully ignorant of the situation ("I can't see you from the tower, but you're wrong about what you see"??) is the antithesis of the primary purpose of ATC, which according to the FAA is preventing collisions. "The air traffic controller is responsible to give first priority to the separation of aircraft," Aeronautical Information Manual, Section 5-5-1 paragraph C.

@@uus4938 AMEN! Hallelujah!!

Sounds like a few phone calls needed to be made afterward.

n+1

ATC = Yes

Agree and the tower would have knowledge of this on their system. Jack Shit must be her boyfriend or husband

In all fairness, saying you just saw somebody take off, is next to useless information to ATC. Need to be more specific, like, hey, a plane almost hit us, as it was taking off. Also, it is the most insane thing anybody can do, just taxi on a runway in fog, just saying. The ATC was out of order though in the way situation was dealt with IMO.

@@collincovid6950 Nah....she doesn't know Jack Shit.

@@tensevo The right thing she could've done is to HALT any further activity until they locate the exact position of the aircraft. She did not carry out her job properly and almost caused 2 collisions!

@@siesaw1 The reason she did not halt, was because she assumed the plane was in a different location, away from danger. I am old school in that I think it is everybody's duty to avoid collision, not just ATC.

Yes, like, that's a clear giveaway of their position, as only one plane takes off at a time and the controler knows which plane just took off. How the hell could she ingore that? And yes, mad respect to the pilot of the other plane for refusing to take off when he thought it wasn't safe.

United 1448 did not clearly state that a plane had taken off OVER THE TOP OF THEM. They just said ‘a plane just took off’, they didn’t say that the takeoff happened near them.

@@HEDGE1011 Thanks for the link! Good to know they received some recognition for that.

@@timonsolus True, but the controller had to (should) know that is the only plane that just took off. On the only active runway. That's where reasonable doubt should be taken into account. Are you the karen that almost killed all those ppl?

He was exerting his rights as pilot-in-command. You are the one in charge of and responsible for the safe operation of that aircraft. If ATC makes a mistake you speak up

also probably said "let me do the talking" to the other pilot in the cockpit.

@@ahmads5889 stfu

Haha.

I didn’t hear her say that?

@@urmom9873 right

She was insane!

Exactly what I was thinking, except this time the pilot of the other aircraft had the intuition not to start a take off roll because he was aware there was confusion and potential for a collision. Good job US Air. Thank God The FedEx 727 wasn't too heavy and got off the ground without needing to use more of the runway.

Exactly my thoughts. Tenerife 2.0 was avoided thanks to the FedEx plane being lighter. Otherwise... This was crazy, divine luck.

Yes. Thinking this also. Complacency and arrogance sadly in both.

@@JasonWardStudios Agreed, totally. I couldn't believe the Tenerife particulars, especially from 4705. The radio thing was bad timing and luck, but it would have been completely inconsequential if procedures were followed before that takeoff roll. I can only guess that someone in that US Air plane remembered that tragedy before moving the throttles.

Yeah, hauntingly similar.

Typical female in charge-itis

@@dezznutz3743 Mommy was too strict honey?

IFR conditions + no ground instrumentation + confusion as to location = hold all ground traffic NOW.

@@RLTtizME a case of the cramps?

@@irongoatrocky2343 Or is it just like you leading up to the first volley of explosive diarrhea?

Yeah and the ATC lady should have been fired!

Lucky he didn’t have ‘get-there-osis’.

Even refused with an adamant and aggressive sounding ATC

Agreed

He's had nightmares of Tenerife disaster after watching the flight channel

Exactly!! Don't have to be an atc, just have a smidgeon of common sense. Or perhaps should be called uncommon in this day and age.

I agree! But here I suppose the ATC thought that 1448 was on an inactive runway. She thought she knew where it was and the pilots were mistaken. That's where she went wrong.

@@sanyasharma80 Indeed, for much of the time the ATC was absolutely sure she knew where 1448 was.

Actually, the controller DID know, as United just told her with no reservations that they were on an ACTIVE runway and a plane just took off. When there is only ONE plane taking off, you know what runway they are on. Thankfully, the 727 was designed for short field ops. I am sure the pilots were sweating when they saw the lights only a few hundred meters ahead. I wonder if they were thinking 'Deja vu' Tenerife....

GOOD. I really hope she was fired. She sounded like the female version of Anatoly Dyatlov. The way she talks to other professional adults and performs her job shows she was completely out of her depth and cannot calmly or humbly react to a difficult situation. She lets her emotions overrule her reason and becomes a bully.

Seriously she admits she can't see anything. And then proceeds to act like she can. What the???

@@DarkFilmDirector Democrats, all democrats like pelosi&AOC, you give em some power and people die!

@@davidrobbins3018 relax, david

@@davidrobbins3018 what does this have to do with an incident that happened 22 years ago?

@@HEDGE1011 great to know!

What part of they just said they're on an active runway makes you think I'm about to try and take off?? Safety first! We all remember Pan Am in Tenerife.

@Roy M WTF dude? Beer? Really? He deserves a fucking medal! He saved fucking lives!!!

@@HEDGE1011 AWESOME! So we’ll deserved!!

RIP US Air though,

The crew received the ALPA Airmanship Award that year fwiw

@@bigB6flyer Good to hear they got some recognition. Thank you for that information!

@@bigB6flyer I am SO happy to hear this. Excellent recognition for them, kudos, US Air!

@Norah Elaine I was thinking the same thing, but early in the video they note that there's no "surface radar" at this airport. Which means it's a thing at some other airports I suppose. Seems kind of important...

I think it wasn't like nowadays that we can even track the planes ourselves through a website on our phones. This was 22 years ago. I am thinking the technology back then must have palled in comparison to today's standards. A lot of what we use today probably wasn't even invented.

listen again carefully. The UAL Captain (the male voice) reported their position incorrectly 3 times (he reported 23R) to ATC. That is why she kept trying to clear USAir to takeoff. ATC really screwed the pooch on this one but the UAL Captain didn't help with 3 incorrect position reports even though he had the frappin signs right in front of him. His First Officer was trying to help but all around this was really FUBAR

@Bryce he definitely said the wrong runway (clearly didnt know where he was) but if theres any reason to question or second guess where he might be you cant clear another plane for takeoff.

@@Whocares66672 That is definitely true IF the controller understood they were lost. I am not sure she did. I don't know if she was having a bad day or is just incompetent? It seems clear to me UAL was lost but I listened to this audio many, many times and I have confirmation bias as we all do that are watching this near tragedy.

Who is that pilot? He needs a hefty bonus in his paycheck!

At least a few ATTABOYS

This pilot did just opposite of what Pierre Bonnin did while flying AIR FRANCE

Nope he didn’t crash into the other plane not a pro move

@@lamboodabest bruh

because his plane took off so early, that he missed all the fun, he never knew what was going on.

They didn’t know of a runway incursion. It’s a good thing a 727 is a STOL aircraft.

Why didn't the FedEx pilot let ATC know they narrowly missed hitting the United plane on the runway? It seems like that would have cleared things up faster.

@@tatergirl36 Given the visibility (or lack thereof) I am guessing the 7-2 crew never knew that it even happened as they had already rotated and started climb out. If they did know though, I would love to hear the playback of the flight deck recording!

While almost avoiding a collision and losing theirs lives

@Kristina You can bet there was screaming!

Not if it was very foggy.

@@chrisgast The lights from the 727 were probably bright enough they did see it coming.

@@watershed44 Probably. Probably not. None of us know how low the visibility truly was that night.

@@chrisgast I can promise you when the 727 was right near they saw it.

I did not understand... please explain.

her man HER

@@The_Beast_666 that's some hunger games analogy or some shit, idk

@@The_Beast_666 he doesn't accept her as part of their group (i.e. air traffic controllers) "not one of ours"

There are many instances where people fail to process unexpected or new information, particularly when they are already under stress having to control the airport 'blind'. Its just in most other jobs the stakes are not as high. I would not be vindictive or try to fire her because she for sure is never going to make this type of mistake again. But I'd focus on better training for all controllers. They're under just as much pressure as pilots, it's just a different type of pressure.

Yeah, Walmart...

It was her stupid attitude, telling everyone to stop talking when *_she_* was the one who needed to shut up and listen.

ATC did fine. Incompetent pilots that cannot follow directions is not ATC fault.

@@Z91-y8n - They couldn't see. Yes, they made a mistake. They were trying to correct that mistake, but the ATC's attitude made it difficult. Attitude isn't just an honest mistake. It's a character defect.

@@Z91-y8n No, the pilots informed ATC that they could see their plane was on an active runway, but the ATC obstinately chose to ignore that information the pilots gave her. That is in no way "doing fine".

I assume that, because of fog, FedEx pilots didn't even see the aircraft they'd just flown over. If I'm wrong, I can't understand their silence.

Exactly my thoughts. And yes, maybe they did not even see what was beneath them.

Because of take off angle?

probably plane upwards attitude immediately after taking off, and imposibility to see the plane due to fog during the take off run.

@ Funniest line of the month.

Retraining? She needs a new career.

@HardWorkingNoGovHelpLowClass Great comment!

@HardWorkingNoGovHelpLowClass love your comment

Then promptly clears US Air takeoff even though both United pilots expressed that they could see a sign stating 23L. lmao

Reminds me of my ex-wife.

Reminds me of the Titanic radio crew who said, "Shut up, I'm talking to Cape Race!" when advised by other ships of large chunks of icebergs in the area.

As she left the one plane sitting across an active runway and then decided to once again insist the other plane take off on the same runway. You sure do have other things to do lady, like find a new job!

Like try to kill hundreds of people!!

yeah that comment was a doosie, she needs to adjust her attitude and find a new job.

Clearly, what ATC needed to do for herself was stop and think, but before she did that she needed to stop every other moving part. All ground aircraft, all ground equipment, and anything in the air looking to make approach final. The evidence suggests, at least on that night, the controller did not have the temperament to hold that position safely.

This is now funny 😄😄

Crazy part the pilots would’ve been at fault & not the controller for clearing the U.S Air for takeoff

Eyeliner and lipstick

I wonder if they ever whip out FlightRadar 24 on their phone just to double check...

@@PureGlide good idea

@@PureGlide I don't know of pilots who do that while on the taxiways, but that does indeed show on the map where those other airplanes are. All situational awareness helps. When I learned to fly about a century ago we were told to keep our transponders off while on the ground (it cluttered up ATC's screens of that period). Today ATC prefers they be on as soon as the airplane starts taxiing.

why didn't the pilot who took off come back on the radio with a code red warning or what have you, what is his responsibility. HE would have seen the taxi'ing aircraft would he not//?? Also th taxi plane should have said Maam a plane nearly just hit us as he rotated but 3-4 mins later she works out the taxi plane position after giving 2 take off clearances, wow unreal !

@@livingadamman7994 I agree

AMEN

But she's strong! She's empowered! SHEEE'S EEEQUAL!

@@robertgantry2118 right, no man ever went on a power trip and caused an accident (see KLM disaster).

@@SinAlameda, or in all likelihood >99% of the others. Robert Gantry, you're misogyny is showing.

@@robertgantry2118 Don't make this a gender issue. A man could have made this mistake just as likely as a woman. There are terrible male and female ATC's, just as there are fantastic male and female ATC's. Also, the fact that she's got an attitude is not bad PER SE. It was however her fault that she didn't listen to clues about 1338's position and the fact that she, amidst all confusion, still let 2998 take off is unacceptable and is more than enough reason to get fired for

i can't believe people are solely blaming atc. the pilot, with a little more awareness could have avoid this situation by taxiing correctly.

She couldn't direct traffic in a parking lot

@@livingadamman7994 lol

@@MrCleanMachine48 Question for you: how much experience do you have taxiing an airliner in the fog? I ask this because I have a lot, and if you had actually taxied at PVD (or other similar illogically-designed airports) in bad visibility you’d understand that it’s not as easy as it seems. The UAL crew made an error and promptly confessed to it, which is a good thing because the US Air crew grasped he situation via radio and kept everyone safe. The controller was the only person here who knew there was a lost aircraft in the fog and yet continued on to clear two aircraft for takeoff. The US Air crew was awarded the ALPA Presidential Citation for their excellent airmanship, and they deserved it: public.alpa.org/portals/alpa/magazine/2001/ND2001_ALPAASFAwards.htm

@@HEDGE1011 my point is both the pilot and atc are in the wrong. atc taking the blame solely here is gross.

The controller was so horrible. Not only was she refusing to listen to an aircraft that was literally telling her they were on an active runway, but she also was being extremely rude and passive aggressive towards the US Air crew for their decision to not takeoff. I hope she found a new profession.

@@LunaticTheCat I understand that the foggy conditions were stressing the controller out, but holy mother of God, as some others have said in one way or another, if you can't stand the heat, get out of the kitchen. She was *CLEARLY* in the weeds with this incident. Then, to make a bad situation even worse, she starts sniping at people?!?!?!? Oh, HELLLLLLLLL NO. 🤬

It was more than just mistakes too. She refused to believe the crews or listen to anyone else. This could have been Tennerife 2.0

@Jennifer Lewis It's human to err, but that ATC was a downright bitch! She refused the pilots warning over and over again! Please excuse my language mam!

She must be older now in her 50’s. In those days it was the tech boom in the stock market & everyone was getting caught up in “irrational exuberance” as some stocks would jump 10-20 points a day.

@@ZenkaiAnkoku2 - Yeah, you might get away with a mistake here and there if you can recognize those mistakes, but her attitude of "Everyone just shut up" could have cost so many lives.

Yes, she did not handle that at all well and if I was her super she'd get a write-up for not holding traffic when she realized she lost the plane, not informing the rest of the tower she lost a plane, and if I think she's properly freaked out and open to learning from this mistake, a verbal for being snippy to the aircrews who were in the right (written if she's still not learning). Also, maybe thank the US Air crew for saving her job and tons of lives and property. Apologies for being crappy to them would probably go a long way toward easing any additional anger. So, yeah, she straight up screwed the pooch, but the question is did she raise the puppy? If she did bet she's hella good at the job now. Ain't nothing like a near miss to get you back on point. Wouldn't be surprised if she's never lost another plane or even her temper now; if she stayed in the job.

Aww you are so fragile. To be actually crying over this video is a little strange to be fair. I'm not trying to be mean.

@@macman975 The fact that you thought I would care at all about what you think is a bit weird to be fair. It’s actually quite amusing. Not trying to be mean or anything.

@@justinlane1980 I wrote 'not trying to be mean' as you are obviously sensitive, fragile and emotional. I wouldn't want to upset such a delicate, weak and frail man such as yourself. Also when you comment on a social media platform people can comment on what you have said, I couldn't careless what you think. I only commented because I find you odd.

@@macman975 Oh, I wasn’t trying to imply that I didn’t think people could respond to my comment. I was clearly stating I don’t care what YOU think. I’m allowed to respond back, right? Don’t get upset because I don’t care about your insecure little observations. Geez, what an odd fella you are!

@@justinlane1980 Awww going to have a little cry are you?. I say that you're odd and then you call me odd?. You can't even think for yourself. I'm guessing autism so I'm going to jog on but make sure you tell your foster parents that the Therapist you're seeing isn't working out. Bye.

No it's the 1448 pilot that needs to be consistent with saying he is position. You cannot be at 23R at 07:14 then when asked at 09:59 change to 23L at 10:05 . Pilot is the problem controller was very right in getting pissed-off because 23R was not having issues and that is what she was told. When they changed to 23L she instantly solved the situation. She should be given a pay rise.

@@BS-kl9yf OMG! That's your opinion.

​@@BS-kl9yf A pay raise? She should be fired. She didn't "instantly" solve anything, she was rude and hostile... and continued clearing takeoffs while NOT knowing where a confused flight crew was located in dense fog with no ground radar. Absolutely horrible. This event is now used in ATC training. She made a bad situation much worse.

@@BS-kl9yf She literally cleared a plane for takeoff when another plane was telling her that they were on an ACTIVE RUNWAY. Even though she thought they were mistaken, she shouldn't have cleared anyone for takeoff until all the confusion was sorted out. She's a rude idiot that nearly got over 100 people killed.

They should've fired her!!!

And you have every right to do so. Better late than SORRY.

Yep..My nephew a pilot agreed saying.."That's me sitting in the chair, with over 200 souls aboard. Not her! "

Seriously. People don't change. She exhibited sub par behavior. Too fickle emotionally and too easily stressed. She needs more than retraining she needs like a 10 year retreat in a Zimbabwe refugee camp handing out supplies to starving villagers to realize HUMANITY.

Who said the US Air pilot wasn’t acknowledged? The US Air crew was awarded the ALPA Presidential Citation for their outstanding airmanship: public.alpa.org/portals/alpa/magazine/2001/ND2001_ALPAASFAwards.htm

@@HEDGE1011 Thank you!

@@darrinsiberia Strongly agree!

ROTFFLMAO.. dude you totally got me @happy ass #happy_ass

She should have been fired for her incompetence. She is a perfect example of how most woman are bad in high stress situations.

@@dezznutz3743 that second part really wasn't needed my guy

@@dezznutz3743 I'm afraid it is in this case. Many ladies made excellent controllers. They have reached a higher level. This lady was not suited; incapable of assessment, argumentative and not respectful. 22 years ago. I hope she reassessed her ability or moved on.

@@dezznutz3743 nothing to do with gender mate.

@@dezznutz3743 it’s not gender related, it’s that part of the country, New York ATC for example are rude and will pressure pilots. All it takes is for one pilot not looking to piss off a controller and boom this could have been a disaster

I would hope she no longer has a job as an ATC after that.

Not just an unknown runway, a clearly ACTIVE runway as well! The crew of United 1448 saw the other plane taking off right above them.

you think that ATC would have given a damn ?

where did the pilot say we were on an "unknown runway"? - at 7:11 the united pilot told ATC where he was precisely - "we are on 23R intersection of 16" - that's precisely wrong - that's where they should have been - later (at 9:06) he once again says he's on "23 right" - having been given those coordinates by the United pilot - why was ATC supposed to think they were elsewhere - - no wonder the unknown voice say "he doesn't know where he is" - note the "he" - - at 10:06 the united pilot finally says "we're on 23 left" - - most commenters here blame ATC - but ATC wasn't given clear info - the confusing info started with the united pilot saying "a plane just took off" - duh! - maybe he could have said "we almost collided with the plane that just took off - we are in the active runway - we musta made a wrong turn"

@@johneyon5257 He said he was on 23R, then said 23L, and had just got lost passing up a taxiway because he didn't know where he was going and nobody could see shit. If you are so confident in the lost pilot pinpointing his location that you'd bet 400+ lives on it, then good luck to you. The other pilot wasn't comfortable departing and I damn sure wouldn't have been comfortable clearing him until the location of the lost aircraft that was not in sight from the tower was confirmed. The situation was not her fault and that's all on the pilot because she had no vis so there's nothing she could have done to prevent a pilot from causing such a hazardous situation. However, clearing that next aircraft was a fucking horrible idea imo.

Absolutely, nothing beats an ounce of prevention

Damon: You’ll be pleased to know that this US Air crew very deservedly won the ALPA Presidential Citation for their outstanding airmanship: public.alpa.org/portals/alpa/magazine/2001/ND2001_ALPAASFAwards.htm

@@HEDGE1011 Excellent, well deserved.

Right?!

Definitely a democrat! AOC in the house! Nancy piglosi in da house!

The worst thing a controller can say over the radio is “I don’t know what’s going on right now”, even if it’s the truth. As soon as she says that, every single pilot in the airport will be too scared to take off until she’s off the air.

Diversity hire .

@@joewlosjosephwlos5713 Just like Dirty Harry said about hiring diversity: "It's a Hell of a price to pay for being stylish!"

I did the same thing, nail biting for sure before he declined her... twice! WOW just wow

@@KayLee19676 yes i feel the same

@Nice Guy I literally crapped my pants! I have planeophobia!!!!

@@KayLee19676 Exactly!

He also told her the wrong runway. He said he was on 23R, which wasn't active. The lack of urgency in his voice coupled with him telling her that he was on 23R when he was actually on 23L is why she was confused.

@@iamtheowl9631 I think 23r is now Victor for that very reason.

@@iamtheowl9631 That was certainly part of it, but I think the "someone just took off" should have cut through the confusion. Not made things clear, necessarily, but enough to make her think "if the runway I think they're talking about isn't active, and they someone just took off, then it's not that runway." Easy for me to say, though. I seriously don't know how the United flight thought that greater than 90 degree turn was the right way to go. How did they get turned that far around without feeling like they were pointed back towards that runway? I think that's what clogged the controllers gears. Granted, it's a whole lot easier for us to track everything given a video with maps and arrows, but giving take-off clearance after they told her they were on an active runway was not the way to go. I think the USAir crew had that same feeling of "didn't they just say...?" that we did when watching the video. They probably didn't have to overcome a mental picture of where the United plane was supposed to be, like the controller did.

@@iamtheowl9631 But she's insane for clearing the US Air flight for takeoff when there was clearly confusion over where the UA flight was

@@iamtheowl9631 He actually reported 23R 3 different times.

And accepted as a candidate at United Aviate to be a future pilot all expenses paid.

Fire that woman!!!

@@gailwilson990 Amen, Gail

Her name wasn’t Karen

@@karenparikh4045 Hopefully, this whole 'Karen' trope will blow over soon. 😆

This made me lol "just keep trying to take off if you slam into another airplane then we will find out where you are!" What a dumb bitch haha

Yeah no kidding.

It's disgusting how she was being passive aggressive to a crew that would have gotten over 100 people killed if they would have listened to her.