Incident Overview
On July 11, 2007, at 1437 Eastern daylight time, a runway incursion occurred at the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood Airport (FLL) in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, involving United Airlines (UAL) flight 1544, an A-320, and Delta Airlines (DAL) flight 1489, a Boeing 757. The incident took place during day visual flight rules conditions with visibility of 10 miles and scattered clouds at 4,800 feet.
Sequence of Events
The Fort Lauderdale ground controller (GC) instructed UAL1544 to taxi to runway 9L via taxiways T7, D, and B. As the flight taxied on taxiway D near runway 9L, the tower local controller (LC) observed that the airplane was moving too fast to hold short of the runway. The LC directed the GC to tell UAL1544 to stop. The GC transmitted, "UAL 1544 stop, stop, stop." The crew stopped on runway 9L, 30 feet from the centerline.
Meanwhile, DAL1489 was inbound for landing on runway 9L. The LC determined that UAL1544 would not hold short of the runway and instructed DAL1489 to go around. According to the Delta crew, when they received the instruction, the main landing gear was already on the ground. The crew noted the urgency in the controller's voice and understood they had to get the aircraft airborne. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) reported that DAL1489 flew over UAL1544 by less than 100 feet.
Pilot Statements
According to the FAA, the UAL1544 crew stated that they missed the turn onto taxiway B.
Airport Equipment
The Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood Airport air traffic control tower was not equipped with either AMASS (Airport Movement Area Safety System) or ASDE-X (Airport Surface Detection Equipment, Model X). All airport lighting was functioning normally.