A Southwest Airlines flight was forced to abruptly cancel takeoff at San Antonio International Airport earlier this week.
SAN ANTONIO — A Southwest Airlines flight was forced to abruptly cancel takeoff at San Antonio International Airport earlier this week after another aircraft made a wrong turn onto the runway, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.
The FAA confirmed to KENS 5 that air traffic control canceled takeoff clearance for Southwest Flight 4996 on Tuesday afternoon when a smaller plane mistakenly entered the runway the aircraft was using for departure. The incident happened around 1:40 p.m. and is now under federal investigation.
Audio obtained by KENS 5 captures the tense moments inside the airport’s air traffic control tower. The Southwest flight was initially cleared for takeoff before the controller urgently intervened moments later, ordering the crew to cancel.
In a statement, the FAA said air traffic control acted to stop the takeoff once the runway conflict was identified. Southwest Airlines said the flight “safely discontinued its takeoff roll” at the airport.
Air traffic control later instructed the private aircraft involved to change course and climb to a safe altitude.
Southwest told KENS 5 that Flight 4996 later departed for Dallas without further interruption.
Following a city council briefing Wednesday, KENS 5 asked San Antonio Airport System Director Jesus Saenz about the incident. Saenz said there was approximately 2,000 feet of separation between the aircraft, emphasizing that safety procedures worked as intended.
“I’m not going to say that’s normal, because it’s not,” Saenz said. “But we work on being safe, hold an investigation and hold people accountable if we have to.”
The FAA continues to review the incident. Updates will be provided on air and online as more information becomes available.