Incident Overview
On an unspecified date, Comair flight 5026 (COM26), a Canadair Regional Jet, was holding in takeoff position on runway 9L at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (FLL). At the same time, US Airways flight 1251 (USA1251), a Boeing 737-400, was on approach to the same runway.
Sequence of Events
USA1251 first contacted the FLL tower at 2342 UTC and was cleared to land on runway 9L. The local controller informed the pilot that several departures would occur before USA1251's arrival, which the pilot acknowledged.
At 2342:48, the controller cleared a Southwest flight for takeoff and instructed Comair flight 716 (COM716) to taxi into position and hold, advising of arrival traffic on a 9-mile final. At 2343:52, COM716 was cleared for takeoff, and COM26 was instructed to taxi into position and hold on runway 9L, with a warning of arrival traffic on a 4-mile final. At 2344:46, COM716 was handed off to departure control.
At 2344:52, the controller advised an arriving Gulfstream jet that it was number 2 for runway 9L, following a 737 on a 2-mile final. At 2345:15, the controller began exchanging with a helicopter 38 miles from FLL trying to contact Miami approach control.
At 2345:48, USA1251 inquired about landing clearance. The controller replied, "USA1251 cleared to land runway 9L." Immediately, an unidentified voice transmitted, "Traffic on 9 left." The controller then instructed, "USAir go around, USAir go around, USAir 1251 go around." USA1251 executed a go-around, and recorded radar data showed it passed approximately 100 feet above COM26.
After the go-around, USA1251 was handed back to Miami approach for resequencing and later landed without further incident.
Controller Workload and Position Staffing
At the time of the incident, the Local Control North (LCN) controller was responsible for both the LCN and Local Control South (LCS) positions, requiring monitoring of operations on all runways. The tower is located between runways 9L and 9R, so the LCN controller had to divide attention in opposite directions while handling aircraft on both runways. Runway 9L is normally used for jet traffic, while runway 9R handles general aviation traffic.
During USA1251's approach, multiple departures and arrivals operated on runway 9L, and a Seneca aircraft was waiting to depart on runway 9R.
Post-Incident Actions and Findings
The LCN controller immediately notified the tower supervisor, who initiated a quality assurance review (QAR) logged in the Daily Record of Facility Operation. The QAR summary stated that the supervisor interviewed both the local and ground controllers and reviewed the tape, concluding that no loss of separation occurred between USA1251 and COM26 because the go-around was initiated when USA1251 was approximately one mile from the runway.
The pilot of COM26 filed a near midair collision report with FLL tower the day after the incident.
Weather Conditions
At 2253 UTC, weather at FLL was reported as wind from 060 degrees at 12 knots, visibility 10 miles, with scattered clouds at 3,500 feet.
Outcome
Neither aircraft sustained damage, and no injuries were reported.