Close call between JetBlue plane, another aircraft at Fort Lauderdale airport investigated by FAA

The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating a close call at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport earlier this week involving a JetBlue plane and another aircraft.

"It's turning towards us," the JetBlue pilot can be heard saying in a transmission with air traffic controllers.

In the audio, you can hear air traffic controllers stop a JetBlue plane and a smaller aircraft from hitting each other in the air on Monday.

Aviation attorney Willard Shepard listened to the audio and said the JetBlue plane was descending to land at FLL. He said the controller noticed a nearby pilot of a smaller plane flying nearby was flying unpredictably.

"The JetBlue pilot came back and said, 'they're turning towards us,'" Shepard said.

"That guy's insane," an air traffic controller can be heard saying in the audio.

"The aircraft is behaving erratically," Shepard said. "The pattern of its flight appears to cause concern by the air traffic controller."

The pilot of the smaller was given the nickname "Mad Max."

"Mad Max appears to be south no factor cross bunker," the air traffic controller said in the audio.

Shepard said despite that, the JetBlue plane didn't have to change course and continued its descent with guidance from controllers.

The FAA said in a statement that "JetBlue Airlines Flight 1256 landed safely at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport after receiving an onboard alert that another aircraft was nearby and not in communications with air traffic control. The required separation was maintained."

Shepard said that the close calls are rare but said there's more risk in a busy airspace like in South Florida.

"The was no alert or warning or evasive action that needed to be taken," Shepard said.

Shepard said that the air traffic controllers didn't contact the pilot of the smaller plane because they didn't have to. But said they absolutely would have contacted the pilot if that plane got close enough to the JetBlue plane.

The FAA is continuing to investigate the incident.