Southwest Pilots Avoid Near Collision Near Nashville Airport

Two Southwest Airlines pilots took emergency evasive maneuvers Saturday evening to avoid a midair collision near Nashville International Airport, after air traffic control instructions placed one aircraft in the path of the other during landing attempts in gusty winds.

The incident unfolded around 5:30 p.m. as Southwest Flight 507, a Boeing 737 arriving from Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, aborted its initial approach to the Tennessee airport and initiated a go-around maneuver. The pilot then followed directions from air traffic control that directed the plane toward the flight path of Southwest Flight 1152, another Boeing 737 that was departing from a parallel runway en route to Knoxville, Tennessee. Collision avoidance systems in both cockpits activated, alerting the crews to the proximity risk. The pilots responded immediately, with one aircraft climbing and the other descending to create separation. Flight tracking data indicated the planes came as close as 500 feet vertically, with one passing just above the other, meeting the criteria for a near midair collision.

Both flights ultimately completed their journeys without incident. Flight 507 landed successfully on a subsequent...