A Boeing 757 airplane departing from Orlando International Airport in Florida last month nearly crashed into a Cessna plane, coming within 500 feet of it, local Florida media reported on Monday.
Malik Clark, the pilot of the single-engine Cessna, was cleared to fly in the area when a Delta flight suddenly ascended towards his plane, forcing Clark to perform an evasive maneuver.
The Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) is investigating the incident, which appears to be an air traffic control mishap.
What went wrong?
The incident was captured on video by Clark, who posted it on social media platforms shortly after the near-crash.
“I knew that this didn’t look right, so immediately, I turned right and I climbed as steeply as I could."
Malik Clark, pilot
“I knew that this didn’t look right, so immediately, I turned right and I climbed as steeply as I could," Clark told local ABC affiliate WFTV-Orlando, adding that if he had not immediately performed the evasive maneuver, it was “quite likely there would have been a midair collision.”
Clark avoided the crash by rising to an altitude of 1500 feet after seemingly being instructed to cruise at 900 feet – an altitude that would have set it on a collision course with the Boeing 757, which seats up to 168 passengers.
“It was somebody’s error to put them in the same part of the sky,” former State Department official Steve Ganyard declared.