FAA investigates Air Canada close call at San Francisco International Airport
The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating a close call Friday night after an Air Canada flight nearly landed on the taxiway at San Francisco International Airport.
It was just before midnight when other pilots sounded the alarm and possibly prevented a horrific accident.
Air Canada flight 759, with 140 people on board, was coming in from Toronto. The airbus A-320 was cleared to land on runway 28R at San Francisco International, but instead lined up for the taxiway that parallels the runway.
There were four other airliners on that taxiway waiting to takeoff.
Air traffic control audio captured what happened next.
"Tower Air Canada 759, I see lights on the runway there. Can you confirm we are clear to land?" the pilot asked.
"Air Canada 759 confirmed cleared to land 28R. There is no one on 28R but you," an air traffic controller responded.
"OK, 759," the pilot said.
"Where is this guy going? He's on the taxi way!" an unknown official said.
"Yeah, I saw that, guys," the air traffic controller responded.
The FAA is investigating how close the Air Canada jet got to the planes on the ground on taxiway C.
Air Canada says the flight did eventually land safely, and the airline is also looking into what happened.