U.S. NTSB launches safety probe after Alaska Airlines jet overflies FedEx at Newark

NTSB investigates a near-collision between Alaska Airlines and FedEx jets at Newark, raising safety concerns in air traffic control.

The National Transportation Safety ​Board said on Thursday (March 20, 2026) it was investigating a close ‌call in which an Alaska Airlines flight overflew ​a FedEx airplane while both jets ⁠were attempting to land on crossing runways at Newark Liberty International Airport.

The Federal Aviation Administration said an air traffic controller instructed ‌Alaska Airlines Flight 294, a Boeing 737, to perform a go-around because FedEx Flight 721, ‌a Boeing 777, was cleared for the ‌final ⁠approach to an intersecting runway at the ⁠New Jersey airport near New York City. The FAA said it was investigating the incident.

The FAA investigates most airspace incidents, ​while the NTSB only investigates ‌significant close calls.

Alaska said it had been ​cleared to land at Newark when air traffic control issued a go-around, "which our ⁠pilots are highly trained for." FedEx said its crew was following instructions from air traffic control and landed safely ‌without incident at Newark.

A series of serious close-call incidents in 2023 prompted Congress to hold hearings that raised questions about FAA air traffic control operations. That prompted the FAA to take steps to improve its air traffic control operations, which remain short-staffed.

A ‌January 2025 mid-air collision between an American Airlines regional jet ​and an Army helicopter near Reagan Washington National Airport killed 67 people and again ⁠raised questions about the FAA's safety performance, prompting the NTSB to ⁠issue dozens of recommendations.