A Foggy Morning Turns Risky at Austin Airport
The early morning of February 4, 2023, was thick with fog at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport (AUS). Pilots and controllers were already dealing with low-visibility conditions, making an ordinary day in aviation more challenging. But for the crews of Southwest Airlines Flight 708 and FedEx Flight 1432, the morning would turn into a heart-pounding near-miss that could have ended in disaster.
This wasn’t just another routine takeoff and landing—this was a case of two commercial aircraft coming dangerously close, separated by as little as 150 feet in poor visibility. Let’s break down what happened, why it happened, and the critical safety lessons we can take from it.
The Players: Southwest 737 and FedEx 767
Southwest Flight 708 was a Boeing 737-700 departing for Cancún, Mexico, with 128 people on board—passengers and crew alike expecting a smooth trip to the sunny beaches of the Yucatán.
FedEx Flight 1432 was a Boeing 767-300 arriving from Memphis, Tennessee. It was a cargo flight carrying two flight crew members and a jump-seating FedEx pilot. The crew was making an instrument landing approach to Runway 18L.
Both planes were operating under instrument flight rules (IFR), relying on their instruments and air traffic control (ATC) guidance due to the dense fog limiting visibility to near zero.
The Setup: A Deadly Assumption
The local air traffic controller working that morning had a clear plan: Southwest 708 would take off from Runway 18L before FedEx 1432 touched down on the same runway. On paper, that plan made sense. The FAA requires a minimum of 2 miles of separation between an aircraft on final approach and another departing from the same runway.
The problem? That separation didn’t happen.
The Southwest crew requested takeoff clearance while still 550 feet away from the runway hold-short line—the designated stopping point before entering an active runway. The controller, however, believed they were already lined up and ready to go when he cleared them for takeoff.
Meanwhile, the FedEx 767 was closing in fast—less than 2 miles out.
The Critical Moments: “Southwest, Abort!”
As the Southwest 737 finally moved onto the runway, the FedEx 767 was already on a 3-mile final approach.
Then, a second problem arose: The Southwest crew didn’t begin their takeoff roll immediately. Instead, they stopped on the runway for 19 seconds to perform an engine run-up due to the freezing fog conditions. That brief pause, though operationally justifiable, made a bad situation much worse.
At 0640:10, with the FedEx plane now just 0.8 miles from the runway, the controller radioed Southwest to confirm:
“Southwest, are you rolling?”
The Southwest captain responded: “Rollin’ now.”
But at that very moment, the FedEx crew saw something alarming—the silhouette of the Southwest 737 sitting on the runway, directly in their flight path.
With only seconds to react, the FedEx first officer shouted: “Southwest, abort!”
The FedEx captain, realizing the imminent danger, executed a go-around maneuver just as their aircraft passed over the Southwest 737 at a chillingly close altitude.
At their closest point, the two aircraft were separated by only about 170 feet—about the length of a single Boeing 767.
Had the Southwest crew lifted off a second later or had the FedEx pilots reacted a second slower, the outcome could have been catastrophic.
What Went Wrong?
This wasn’t a case of one simple mistake but rather a series of misjudgments and oversights that lined up to create a high-risk scenario.
The controller assumed Southwest was closer to takeoff than it was.
- He cleared them for departure without verifying their position.
Southwest took additional time on the runway without informing ATC.
- The engine run-up was needed for safety but was not communicated to the controller.
There was no ground radar at Austin’s control tower.
- Unlike many major airports, AUS did not have surface detection equipment to alert controllers when aircraft were in unsafe positions.
FedEx pilots had to rely on visual cues in zero visibility.
- They only saw Southwest at the last second, forcing them to react instantly.
What Can We Learn?
This incident is a stark reminder that assumptions in aviation can be deadly. Here are some critical takeaways:
Clear communication is vital. The Southwest crew wasn’t required to inform ATC about their planned pause for an engine run-up, but doing so might have changed the controller’s decision-making.
Controllers need tools to “see” through low visibility. Had Austin’s control tower been equipped with surface detection radar, the controller would have known exactly where Southwest 708 was at all times.
Situational awareness is key. The FedEx first officer’s instinct to look outside—despite poor visibility—was a lifesaver. His split-second decision prevented what could have been a major aviation disaster.
What’s Changing?
As a result of this investigation, the NTSB issued seven new safety recommendations to the FAA, including:
Requiring ground radar or surface detection systems at all major airports. Improving cockpit alerting systems to warn pilots about runway conflicts. Mandating more controller training for low-visibility operations. Extending cockpit voice recorder (CVR) retention from 2 hours to 25 hours, to prevent crucial data from being overwritten.
Final Thoughts
This incident could have ended in tragedy, but it didn’t—thanks to the quick thinking of the FedEx pilots and a bit of sheer luck. However, luck isn’t a safety strategy. Fixing procedural gaps and enhancing technology are critical to ensuring that near-misses like this don’t turn into full-blown disasters in the future.
With these changes, pilots and controllers will have the tools they need to avoid a repeat of this heart-stopping moment on the foggy runway at Austin.
