Momnesia

Stupid Story of the Day: Officials: Planes Avoid Mid-Air Crash

The story is, basically, that nothing bad happened. More importantly, nothing bad happened and it was never in any real danger of happening. And, on top of that, nothing bad happened, it was never in any real danger of happening, and the planes were alerted by a cockpit warning system that they were in danger of something not happening.

Published: 3/6/08, 12:46 PM EDT

OBERLIN, Ohio (AP) - Two airplanes carrying more than 120 passengers narrowly averted a collision after an air traffic control trainee told a Delta Air Lines pilot to turn into the path of an oncoming plane, officials said.

One pilot flew up and the other went down, and the planes never came closer than about 400 feet in altitude and 3 miles in lateral, or horizontal, separation, Federal Aviation Administration spokeswoman Elizabeth Isham Cory said Thursday.

Standard separation is 1,000 feet vertical and 5 miles lateral, Cory said.

A cockpit collision avoidance system alerted the pilots to the danger, in the skies east of Pittsburgh.

Did you read that? THREE MILES. FOUR HUNDRED FEET.