Terrifying moment single-engine In midair, a Cessna nearly collides with a Delta Boeing 757 passenger jet: “I knew it didn’t seem good, so I rose as steeply as I could,” explains the pilot.
A single-engine Cessna nearly collided with a Delta Boeing 757 passenger jet over Orlando International Airport, as captured on film.
The Federal Aviation Administration is currently investigating the near-collision that may have caused numerous fatalities if the two planes had collided (FAA)
The video, captured from within the Cessna, depicts the pilot’s response to the emergency, in which he took swift, evasive action by climbing above the climbing aircraft.
In a recent interview, the pilot, Malik Clarke, described how he was compelled to take “evasive measures” to avoid the passenger airliner.
Incredible overhead film captures the moment a single-engine Cessna nearly collided with a Delta Boeing 757 passenger flight in mid-air over Orlando International Airport – a near-collision that could have resulted in mass casualties.
Last month, as lines became longer in anticipation of the busy Labor Day holiday weekend, the much smaller Cessna came within 500 feet of the departing, fully-loaded jumbo jet from Orlando International.
The from-within-the-Cessna-recorded video demonstrates the pilot’s commendable response to the crisis, in which he took swift, evasive action by ascending over the swiftly climbing aircraft – narrowly escaping a collision by a few feet.
In a recent interview with ABC News, the pilot, Malik Clarke, detailed the terrifying encounter, describing how he was compelled to take “evasive action” to avoid the much larger, passenger-packed airliner – an incident that is presently being investigated by the FAA.
This occurred while I was flying with two of my pals two days ago (08/17/2022). At Orlando Intl MCO, controllers provided me and another Delta Airlines pilot with beginning headings that would cause us to converge after takeoff. pic.twitter.com/2oAHuab39v
— Malik Clarke (@malik dambah) August 19, 2022
Stunning overhead film captures the moment a single-engine Cessna nearly collided with a Delta Boeing 757 passenger flight in mid-air over Orlando International Airport – a near-collision that could have resulted in mass casualties.
In a recent interview with ABC News, the pilot of the single-engine aircraft, Malik Clarke, detailed the terrifying encounter, remembering how he was compelled to take “evasive action” to avoid the much larger, passenger-packed airliner – an incident that is presently being investigated by the FAA.
Clarke informed the television channel about the near-collision, recalling how on August 17 he observed the plane fast climbing towards his aircraft.
Clarke said, “I quickly turned right and climbed as sharply as possible, because the Boeing 757 from Delta had a significantly higher climb rate than the aircraft I was flying.”
Clarke’s quick-thinking appears to have paid off, as both planes narrowly avoided a collision by a margin of just 500 feet – which would have more than likely been fatal for all pilots and passengers.
Clarke confessed to the outlet, ‘Had I not executed that evasive move, it is quite likely that there would have been a midair crash.’
Clarke’s rapid thinking appears to have paid off, as both planes narrowly avoided a 500-foot collision that would have been devastating for both pilots and passengers.
Clarke stated that he had just switched frequencies and was out of contact with air traffic control when the Delta plane passed directly beneath his aircraft, putting additional strain on the pilot since the fate of both flights rested mainly in his hands.
Pilots’ correspondence to air traffic control following near-miss over Orlando, transcribed
Tower: ‘Runway 36l, takeoff authorized.’ Number 54 kilo, contact departure.’
Cessna pilot: ‘Going to departure, 54 kg.’
Tower: “N5254K, Orlando approach, Roger. What heading were you given?”
Cessna pilot: ‘090 we saw it. We noticed him coming, so we reduced our speed to 150, but they gave us 090 up to 2000.’
Delta pilot: “Tower, we just observed traffic passing just over us.”
Clarke released a video of the incident to social media from the cockpit of the Cessna, which shows the Delta plane flying dangerously close to the Cessna, which was carrying only Clarke at the time.
Both pilots observed each other and communicated with air traffic control immediately following the near-collision.
The FAA stated that the pilots of both aircraft reported being able to see the other, providing a transcript of the correspondence as part of their ongoing investigation into why the planes were closer than advised.
Steve Ganyard, a former State Department official and current ABC News contributor, is convinced that someone was at fault for the near-miss, although he did not identify whether it was Clarke or the unnamed pilots of the 757.
“The two planes came as close as 500 feet vertically and 1500 feet horizontally, which is definitely too close,” Ganyard said.
Someone made a mistake by placing them in the same region of the sky.
Delta stated that it is conducting its own internal inquiry into the near-miss and that “nothing is more important than safety” in a statement.
As per agency policy, the National Air Traffic Controllers Association, the union representing air traffic controllers, has declined to comment on the pending FAA investigation.
Photographed is Clarke’s single-engine Cessna, which he was flying during the close approach on August 17. Clarke’s fast thinking in the air prevented any casualties from occurring.
In contrast, Orlando International Airport has yet to comment on the incident.
The video was captured just days after severe winds flipped a single-passenger aircraft at another Florida airport, killing one and wounding another.
The FAA reported Friday that the two were aboard the twin-engine Diamond DA42 Twin Star when it rolled over due to winds of up to 40 mph while waiting to take off at 5 p.m. Thursday at Orlando Executive Airport.
A representative for the Orlando Fire Department stated that when rescue teams got to the scene, one victim was already deceased.
Another passenger was sent to the Orlando Regional Medical Center. Their current health is unknown, and neither victim has been identified.
Both events occur as airlines continue to contend with staffing and scheduling constraints caused by the pandemic, present economic instability, and a tight labor market, with pilots picketing at 14 major airports.
The frightening image was captured just days after a small single-passenger plane was overturned by severe winds at another Orlando airport, Orlando Executive Airport, killing one and wounding another. The FAA is investigating both instances at now.
The union announced last week that pilots from Delta Air Lines, Endeavor Air, JetBlue, Sun Country, Spirit Airlines, and United Airlines are participating.
However, those airlines have stressed that those pilots are off-duty – and that protests will not lead to delays or cancellations despite the busy holiday weekend, which saw some 13-million Americans travel all over the country to ring in the end of summer.
Both events are currently being investigated by the FAA.
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