Two jumbo jets forced to abort landing after terrifying near-miss at New York's JFK Airport

Dan McDonald
Tue, 21 Apr 2026 23:09:53 +0000

Two passenger aircraft narrowly avoided a mid-air collision at a New York airport on Monday, coming within just 350 feet of one another during their approach.

The incident involved flights operated for American Airlines and Air Canada, which came perilously close as both prepared to land at John F Kennedy Airport.

Republic Airways Flight 4464, operating on behalf of American Airlines, executed a "go-around" manoeuvre and departed from its planned approach path shortly after 2.30pm local time, the Federal Aviation Administration confirmed.

The aircraft strayed directly into the flight path of Jazz Aviation Flight 554, which was also preparing to touch down.

The two planes came within the length of an American football field of each other.

Flight tracking data from FlightRadar24 revealed the Republic Airways jet plunged approximately 600 feet within seconds as it passed over Long Beach.

Simultaneously, the Jazz Aviation aircraft climbed sharply by nearly 1,000 feet.

According to the FAA, both flight crews reacted appropriately to their onboard warning systems, successfully preventing a catastrophe.

Republic Airways said its crew "received a resolution advisory" from the aircraft's Traffic Collision Avoidance System.

This type of alert represents the most urgent warning available to pilots and typically instructs them to climb or descend immediately to evade an approaching threat.

Jazz Aviation, the regional carrier operating the Air Canada service, reported that its crew received both a traffic warning notification and resolution, alongside rapid instructions from air traffic controllers.

Both aircraft touched down safely shortly before 3pm.

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The FAA has launched an investigation into the near-miss.

It comes just weeks after a deadly incident at a separate New York airport.

Two people died and two others were left seriously injured after an Air Canada flight crashed into an emergency vehicle at LaGuardia Airport on March 22.

There were 76 passengers and four crew members onboard the plane, which struck the vehicle at approximately 24 miles per hour (39kph), according to FlightRadar24.

Air traffic control audio from LiveATC.net details how the firetruck was cleared to cross the runway to respond to a United flight which was reporting a strange odour.

Panicked commands to stop the emergency vehicle were then heard as it became clear it would crash with the Air Canada flight.

"JAZZ 646, I see you collided with the vehicle. Just hold position. I know you can’t move. Vehicles are responding to you now," an air traffic controller was heard saying immediately after the incident.

The plane was a Bombardier CRJ-900 twin-jet aircraft flown by Air Canada Express from Montreal.