FAA Investigates Near Miss at LaGuardia

The Federal Aviation Administration says it is investigating a close call at New York City's LaGuardia Airport last week that could have ended in disaster. The FAA says a business jet took off on Wednesday, Oct. 7 without the proper authorization from air traffic control as a Delta regional flight was landing, People reports. The Delta plane aborted the landing just before touching down. The plane "performed a go-around at LaGuardia Airport after ExecJet Flight 398 departed on an intersecting runway without air traffic control authorization," the FAA says. The Delta flight later landed safely.

According to data from FlightRadar 24, the two aircraft were around 1,000 feet apart at their closest, with the Delta plane moving at 147 mph before the go-around and the business jet going around 103 mph, ABC7 reports.

• In air traffic control audio, the business jet pilot can be heard arguing with controllers, People reports. "I believe you were never cleared for takeoff, sir. You were cleared to line up and wait," a controller tells the pilot. The pilot replies, "No, I believe we were cleared for takeoff. We were told that the United was ahead, wake turbulence and everything." The controller tells the pilot, "Uh, negative. I never even said anything about wake turbulence."