News Values: Novelty

Impact. This is an example of novelty because it describes an event that took place where people could've gotten hurt, however it was barely avoided.

A Close Call for 2 Planes at Newark

Two planes at Newark Liberty International Airport had an unusually close call on April 24, the National Transportation Safety Board reported this week. But air traffic control experts said the hazard was reduced because both pilots were aware of the problem and took evasive action.

A Boeing 737 operated by United Airlines, arriving from San Francisco, flew over a regional jet at an altitude of about 400 feet, with a lateral separation of less than 200 feet, according to the board’s analysis of radar data. While the 737 was still three miles from the runway, the regional jet, an Embraer 145 flown by ExpressJet, was cleared to take off for a trip to Memphis, on a runway that crossed the runway being used for arrivals. But the smaller plane was slow to begin rolling, and by the time it reached the intersection, it was in conflict with the arriving plane, the board said in a preliminary report.

The air traffic controller, recognizing the problem, told the 737 to circle the airport. The pilot of the departing regional jet said he would delay raising the nose for takeoff, according to the board.

That “might be a frightening proximity,” said an independent expert, J. David Canoles, an aviation consultant. But, he said, “if the controller and the two pilots are all aware of what’s going on and coordinating, that proximity doesn’t bother me.”

“Go-arounds are unpleasant but they happen every day,” he said. “When you try to compress traffic, it happens from time to time.”

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/05/21/nyregion/a-close-call-for-2-planes-at-newark.html?module=Search&mabReward=relbias%3Ar%2C%7B%222%22%3A%22RI%3A16%22%7D