Southwest plane avoids collision at Chicago's Midway Airport in latest near-miss incident

A Southwest Airlines flight aborted landing at Midway Airport to avoid a business jet on the runway.

Federal aviation officials are investigating a close call at Midway International Airport after a Southwest Airlines plane was forced to abort a landing when a business jet crossed the runway without clearance.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) confirmed the incident occurred at 8:50 a.m. on Tuesday when the Southwest flight attempted to land but had to quickly ascend to avoid the smaller jet. Video footage circulating online shows the Southwest plane nearing touchdown before suddenly pulling up as the business jet moves across the runway.

Planes nearly collided at Midway Airport in Chicago, Illinois, forcing a Southwest Airlines plane to abort its landing 😳pic.twitter.com/ZhBqXp7rKE

— FearBuck (@FearedBuck) February 25, 2025

This is not the first such incident at Midway. FAA records indicate multiple near-misses in recent years, involving commercial jets, small planes, and helicopters. In August, a helicopter flew over a Boeing 737 lower than authorised, coming within 200 feet of the aircraft. In another case last July, a single-engine plane encroached on a runway, bringing it within 167 feet of a departing jet.

“These situations highlight the extreme congestion at airports like Midway,” said aviation analyst Henry Harteveldt. While aborted landings—known as "go-arounds"—are rare, pilots undergo rigorous training to handle such situations.

The FAA is conducting a safety audit of the 45 busiest U.S. airports, including Midway and O’Hare, to assess risks associated with runway incursions. The review follows rising concerns over air traffic safety, heightened by several recent aviation incidents, including fatal crashes and near-misses at major airports nationwide.

Despite the scare, the Southwest flight landed safely, and no injuries were reported.