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Two private jets collided at the William P. Hobby Airport (HOU) in Houston on Tuesday after one took off without permission.
The FAA said that a Hawker 800 departed from Runway 22 without permission, clipping the wing of a Cessna Citation Mustang that was landing on Runway 13 Right. The airport issued a groundstop while debris was removed from the airfield, telling the public that the aircraft had been declared fire-safe by the Houston Fire Department and there were no injuries as a result of the incident. ABC 13 reported that the groundstop caused cancellations to 24 departing and 30 arriving flights, 45 delays to departing flights, 33 to arriving flights and 11 flight diversions.
The FAA and other authorities have not disclosed whether there were passengers on board either jet. The NTSB sent a team of six to investigate the collision. Audio from the incident revealed a controller telling a private owner over the radio, "We can't do that…we just had a midair."
In 2023 there have been numerous close calls across the country, garnering public scrutiny over the state of aviation safety in the nation. The FAA has awarded funding to airports across the country to provide improved safety features like runway lighting or new taxiways. The FAA had also been without a permanent leader for 19 months until Michael Whitaker was confirmed by the Senate on Tuesday.
The NTSB will investigate the incident, releasing a preliminary report in a few weeks and a final report in at least one year.UpdateOn Wednesday the NTSB issued a statement about the investigation. The agency reported that the Hawker was instructed by a controller to wait on the runway and instead began a takeoff roll when its wing collided with the tail of the landing Citation. The pilot of the Hawker continued the takeoff before returning to land. There were no injuries to the five people on the Citation or the three people on the Hawker. The team of six sent to investigate will stay in Houston for three to five days and a preliminary report will be out in 30 days with a final report in 12-24 months.