FAA investigating near collision at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport

WASHINGTON — Two planes narrowly avoided each other on the runway at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport on Wednesday, according to an air traffic audio recording, the second such near miss at the airport in six weeks.

The Federal Aviation Administration said it will investigate into how American Airlines flight 2134 was cleared for takeoff at about 10:20 a.m. on Tuesday, while another plane had already been cleared to land on a cross-runway.

“An air traffic controller cancelled the takeoff clearance for American Airlines Flight 2134 because another aircraft was cleared to land on an intersecting runway at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport,” a spokesperson for the FAA said Thursday morning.

American Airlines said in a statement: “The safety of our customers and team members is our top priority, and we’re grateful to our crew for their professionalism. We will support the FAA in its investigation.”