Planes Come Within 475 Feet at JFK in Latest Close Call

Two planes had a close call while approaching John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York City on Monday. Flight-tracking data showed they came within roughly 500 feet vertically of each other, with ABC7 citing Flightradar24 figures that put the separation at about 475 feet.

The incident occurred one day after a United Airlines flight from Venice, Italy, struck a light pole and damaged a bakery truck while landing at Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey around 2 p.m. Sunday. The 221 passengers and 10 crew members aboard were not injured, and the plane landed safely.

Air traffic control audio captured a controller at JFK alerting the pilot of Endeavor Air Flight 5289, a Delta subsidiary, to a smaller aircraft flying less than 500 feet above. The Endeavor plane was at about 2,100 feet, while the Cirrus SR22 was at roughly 2,575 feet as their paths crossed.

The Federal Aviation Administration said Endeavor Air Flight 5289 was on final approach to Runway 22L around 5:15 p.m. Monday when the Cirrus SR22 crossed overhead while preparing to land on Runway 22R. "Air traffic control provided traffic advisories to both pilots, and each reported the other in sight," the FAA said. "The required separation was maintained."

The Endeavor pilot told controllers the flight crew received a traffic advisory, followed by a resolution advisory from the aircraft’s collision avoidance system, ABC7 reported.

Audio showed the controller saying, "Endeavor 5289 yeah I'm not talking to him. He's 500 feet above you now left to right half a mile in front of you." The pilot responded, "And tower Endeavor 5289 he just flew about 500 feet right over so looks like he's taking a left turn now."

Monday’s event marks the latest in a string of aviation close calls under increased scrutiny from federal regulators and lawmakers. Last month, JFK saw another incident when Republic Airways Flight 4464 performed a go-around after missing its approach path and flying too close to Air Canada Express Flight 8554, which had been cleared to land on a parallel runway. That episode triggered onboard collision warnings and a federal investigation.

Fox News Digital has reached out to the FAA, Delta and Cirrus for comment.