Delta Jet Aborts LaGuardia Landing at 100 Feet During Unauthorized Private-Jet Takeoff

A Delta Connection regional jet was descending toward LaGuardia Airport’s Runway 22 when a private jet accelerated for takeoff on intersecting Runway 13. At roughly 100 feet above the runway, the Delta crew abandoned the landing and climbed away, stopping the two aircraft from continuing toward the runway crossing.

The October 7 encounter occurred at about 3:55 p.m. Delta flight DL5415, operated by Endeavor Air with a Bombardier CRJ900, was arriving from Omaha Eppley Airfield. The other aircraft was a NetJets Embraer Phenom 300 operating for ExecJet as EJA398.

Flight-tracking data placed the CRJ900 at approximately 128 knots before it pulled up. The Phenom 300 was moving at about 90 knots on its takeoff roll. The same data indicated that the aircraft came within roughly 1,000 feet of each other, although the FAA had not released an official closest-approach measurement.

The go-around broke the developing conflict

The Delta crew’s go-around was the immediate escape from the intersecting traffic. Instead of touching down and continuing along Runway 22, the crew added power and transitioned from descent to climb. That kept the CRJ900 from proceeding toward the point where its landing runway crossed the Phenom’s departure runway.

A go-around is a standard maneuver built into airline operations for any approach that cannot be completed safely. Its use does not by itself establish how regulators will classify an event, but timing affects the remaining margin. Here, the maneuver reportedly began at about 100 feet, after both aircraft had already committed substantial energy to their respective landing and takeoff movements.

The runway layout made accurate sequencing essential. One aircraft was descending at approximately 128 knots while the other was accelerating at about 90 knots. Neither could stop or change direction as readily as an aircraft taxiing at low speed. Climbing away removed the arriving CRJ900 from the immediate ground-level convergence.

The crews and controller disagreed over the clearance

Air traffic control recordings indicate that the private-jet crew believed it had permission to depart. The pilot stated an understanding of “cleared for takeoff, Runway 13” before beginning the takeoff roll. Afterward, the controller told the crew: “I believe you were never cleared for takeoff, sir. You were cleared to line up and wait.” The pilot disputed that account, saying, “we got cleared for takeoff.”

The two instructions authorize different actions. “Line up and wait” permits an aircraft to enter the assigned runway and hold in position; it does not authorize takeoff. FAA airport-operations guidance requires a clearance before an aircraft takes off and directs pilots to seek clarification when a clearance or instruction is not understood.

The FAA subsequently said the Phenom “departed on an intersecting runway without air traffic control authorization.” The agency is investigating the radio exchange, aircraft movements and other circumstances surrounding the event.

The FAA has not assigned a severity category

The reported 1,000-foot spacing and low-altitude go-around do not independently determine the incident’s formal severity. The FAA’s runway-incursion categories range from Category D events with no immediate safety consequences to Category A serious incidents in which a collision was narrowly avoided. Between them, Category C covers events with ample time or distance to avoid a collision, while Category B involves decreased separation and significant collision potential that may require a time-critical response.

The agency had not publicly assigned a category when the incident was reported. Its broader runway-safety framework uses the Surface Safety Metric, which became the FAA’s primary runway-environment safety measure in October 2019. The associated Surface Safety Risk Index weighs potential outcomes, while the Aviation Risk Identification and Assessment system can use surveillance data including lateral position, altitude and speed to evaluate encounters.

The event came months after an Air Canada Express CRJ900 collided with an airport fire truck at LaGuardia on March 22, killing both pilots and injuring dozens. The NTSB’s preliminary findings said the truck had erroneously been cleared to cross while that aircraft was on short final. The March collision involved a different reported sequence and cause under investigation.

For the October encounter, the unresolved issue is why the private-jet crew believed it had received a takeoff clearance when the controller and FAA say it had not. The safety action that worked is already apparent: about 100 feet above Runway 22, the Delta crew discontinued the landing before the intersecting paths could fully converge.

By David Whitaker — Associate editor for AMI’s aerospace and drone systems desk, translating flight systems, aircraft programs, spaceflight, and UAV developments into accessible technical stories.