Alaska Airlines flight aborts takeoff to avoid collision in Nashville

On a recent flight from Nashville to Seattle, an Alaska Airlines jet had to abort its takeoff to prevent a potential collision with a Southwest Airlines plane. The incident occurred around 9:15 a.m. at Nashville International Airport when the Alaska Airlines pilots noticed a Southwest aircraft was cleared to cross the end of the same runway. Recognizing the imminent danger, the pilots quickly applied the brakes, bringing the Boeing 737 Max to a rapid stop. Fortunately, no injuries were reported among the 176 passengers and six crew members on board. The abrupt stop caused the tires of the aircraft to go flat due to the extreme heat generated during the emergency braking. Following the incident, Alaska Airlines arranged for another plane to transport the affected passengers to Seattle by Thursday night. The airline is currently conducting an inspection of the grounded aircraft. Federal agencies, including the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), are investigating the circumstances surrounding the incident. Both agencies have expressed concern over a series of recent close calls in U.S. air travel, known as runway incursions, which have raised alarms about aviation safety. NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy highlighted that while such incidents are rare compared to the total number of flights, they indicate that the aviation system is under significant stress. The investigation aims to determine the factors that led to this near-miss and to enhance safety protocols to prevent similar occurrences in the future.