Exclusive Audio Reveals Tense Moments Leading to Near-Miss Incident at Hopkins Airport

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CLEVELAND (WJW) — An investigation has been launched by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) after a near-miss incident involving a passenger plane and a helicopter just outside Cleveland Hopkins International Airport. The FOX 8 I-Team has delved into the details of this alarming event.

The NTSB is examining how close the aircraft came to a potential mid-air collision. The incident occurred last Wednesday afternoon when a Life Flight helicopter found itself in the flight path of Southwest Flight 1333 as it approached Hopkins.

During the tense moment, an air traffic controller was heard on the radio asking, “Lifeflight … able to pass behind that traffic?” which underscores the gravity of the near-collision.

You hear an air controller say on the radio, “Lifeflight … able to pass behind that traffic?”

The Life Flight crew responds, “Sir … It’d be better if we go above it … and in front of it … if we can.”

The controller answers, “Roger.”

Ultimately, you hear the Flight 1333 crew announce, “We’re deviating ‘right’ … for the traffic.”

The passenger jet turned away, then went around the airport.

We caught up with commercial pilot and flight instructor Robert Katz. He said, “This was a harrowing close call.”

He analyzed flight paths and other data, and he found the chopper and the plane could’ve collided over heavily-populated western Cuyahoga County.

And, he pointed out, the set of circumstances appeared to be very similar to what happened in a mid-air crash between a plane and a helicopter this year in Washington, D.C., killing 67 people.

Katz asked, “What is going on at Hopkins?”

He added, “A slower helicopter trying to pass in front of a faster jet … we have a tower controller with a radarscope watching each aircraft coming toward each other.”

WJW photo

And, he wondered, “Why aren’t people learning from the mistakes of others?”

Radio traffic shows the crew for the passenger jet got an emergency alert. An alert from an aircraft system designed to avoid mid-air collisions. That system tells the crew to climb, or descend, or turn away.”

In the end, the passenger jet landed safely, and so did the Life Flight helicopter. The Life Flight crew had been heading to a local hospital to pick up a patient.

Over the weekend, Southwest Airlines released a statement that said, in part:

“Southwest appreciates the professionalism of our Crew in responding to the situation. We are engaged with the NTSB and we will support the investigation. Nothing is more important to Southwest than the Safety of our Customers and Employees.”

Metro Aviation operates all medical transport aircraft for the MetroHealth System. Over the weekend Metro Aviation released a statement, saying, in part:

“…the crew was in communication with air traffic control throughout the flight. We will cooperate with the NTSB and will support the investigation in any capacity that the NTSB requests.”

Robert Katz also said, “It demands NTSB’s fullest attention.”

We have also reached out to the NTSB with follow-up questions about the investigation.

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Exclusive Audio Reveals Tense Moments Leading to Near-Miss Incident at Hopkins Airport

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