Air traffic controllers have incredibly stressful jobs, and a vast majority of them are true professionals. Here’s the perfect example of that, as shared by VASAviation.
Southwest 737 pilot error leads to mid-air mess in Phoenix
This incident happened on February 24, 2025, near Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (PHX), and involves a close call between a Southwest Boeing 737 on approach from Los Angeles (LAX), and an American Airbus A321 on approach from Dallas (DFW).
The two planes were approaching the airport around the same time, landing on parallel runways into the west. The American A321 was on a straight-in approach for the runway, while the Southwest 737 was approaching from the south, and was supposed to make a turn to the west, to land on the parallel runway.
In this situation, the air traffic controller told the Southwest pilots that “I’ll have one more turn for you in just a second,” and he advised that there’s “traffic out there one o’clock, straight in for the north side at 5,000, it’s an American A321.” The Southwest pilot confirmed that they had the other traffic in sight…