A Delta Air Lines jet was roughly 300 feet from an American Airlines plane during a close call at Boston's airport that forced the Delta aircraft to abort a weekend landing attempt, an aviation expert said Sunday. The Federal Aviation Administration confirmed it is investigating the incident between two commercial flights that occurred Saturday at Boston Logan International Airport.
The Delta flight from Dallas had to execute a go-around, or aborted landing, to avoid the American plane departing from an intersecting runway, according to the FAA and flight logs. The crew of Delta flight 2351 coordinated with air traffic control to perform the go-around, an airline spokesperson said. The plane, which had 129 passengers and six crew members on board, landed safely and deplaned normally, according to the spokesperson.
Todd Curtis, a former safety engineer at Boeing who now coproduces a podcast about flight safety issues, estimated the distance between the two jetliners using Flightradar24 data. "This is a significant incident," Curtis said, adding that it was particularly concerning because it involved two professional airline crews. He said federal aviation officials have been concerned about such runway incursions for some time and will scrutinize Saturday's close call.
What the Left Is Saying
Transportation safety advocates aligned with progressive priorities say the Boston incident underscores what they describe as chronic underfunding of the FAA's safety oversight infrastructure. They point to years of warnings from the National Transportation Safety Board about runway incursion risks at major airports and argue that staffing shortages in air traffic control have created dangerous gaps in the system. These advocates are calling for increased federal investment in runway safety technology, including advanced surface movement guidance systems and improved controller training programs.
Democratic lawmakers on the House Transportation Committee have long pushed for dedicated funding streams for aviation safety upgrades separate from general airport improvement grants. They say the Boston close call validates their concerns about whether the current regulatory framework adequately addresses modern air traffic volume demands.
What the Right Is Saying
Conservative transportation policy voices emphasize that go-arounds are built-in safety mechanisms designed precisely for situations like Saturday's near-miss. They argue that the system worked as intended, with pilots and controllers executing proper protocols to prevent a collision. Industry groups note that U.S. commercial aviation remains among the safest modes of transportation per mile traveled.
Republican oversight members on the Senate Commerce Committee say they want to ensure any regulatory responses are targeted at actual deficiencies rather than broad new mandates. They caution against using isolated incidents to justify expanded government authority over airline operations, arguing that existing safety frameworks already provide adequate tools for addressing runway risks.
What the Numbers Show
Runway incursions have been a documented FAA concern for years. The agency reported 390 runway incursion events in fiscal year 2025, though the vast majority were classified as minimal risk incidents resolved before any potential collision course developed. Aviation experts note that commercial aviation has maintained an impressive safety record despite increasing air traffic volumes nationwide.
Saturday's incident involved two major carriers operating at one of New England's busiest airports. Boston Logan handled approximately 1,400 flights daily before the pandemic and has returned to comparable volume levels. The estimated 300-foot separation between aircraft represents a distance considered serious by industry standards but not unprecedented in commercial aviation history.
The Senate Commerce Subcommittee on Aviation, Space, and Innovation is scheduled to hold a hearing Tuesday focused specifically on near-misses and runway incursions at U.S. airports. The timing predates Saturday's Boston incident but adds urgency to discussions already planned for Capitol Hill.
The Bottom Line
The FAA investigation into Saturday's close call will likely take several weeks to complete. Investigators will examine air traffic control recordings, flight data recorders, and radar tracking information to establish the exact sequence of events that brought two commercial jets within 300 feet of each other on intersecting runways at Logan International.
Go-arounds such as the one executed by Delta flight 2351 are standard safety procedures pilots train for regularly. The FAA notes these maneuvers are performed safely thousands of times annually across the national airspace system, either at pilot discretion or controller direction. Aviation experts say the incident highlights why runway configuration and sequencing at busy airports requires constant attention from multiple parties.
The upcoming Senate hearing on Tuesday will provide a public forum for regulators, airlines, and safety advocates to discuss systemic approaches to preventing similar incidents. Whatever findings emerge from both the congressional review and FAA investigation could shape future equipment requirements or procedural changes at major U.S. airports.