NTSB Probes Southwest Jet's Near-Miss With Helicopter in Cleveland

The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) announced on Sunday it is dispatching a team to investigate a "close call" near Cleveland International Airport, where a Southwest Airlines jet and a helicopter flew dangerously close to one another.

The incident occurred on October 29. Southwest Flight 1333, a Boeing 737 arriving from Baltimore, was on its final approach when the "loss of separation" event happened, forcing the pilots to abort the landing.

A "loss of separation" means the two aircraft breached the minimum required safe distance.

Southwest Airlines confirmed the event, stating that the pilots were in contact with air traffic control and the flight "landed safely a short time later."

This investigation comes amid heightened scrutiny of U.S. airspace safety. The incident is alarmingly similar to the conditions that led to a fatal mid-air collision on January 29 of this year. In that disaster, an American Airlines regional jet collided with a U.S. Army helicopter near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, killing all 67 people aboard both aircraft.

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