What happened
On September 12, 2024, at approximately 09:14 CDT, Alaska Airlines flight 369, a Boeing 737-900 operating as N919AK, was prepared for departure on runway 13 at Nashville International Airport (BNA). Prior to the takeoff, the flight crew was instructed to line up and wait on the runway.
At 09:13:05 CDT, the ground controller instructed the crew of Southwest Airlines flight 2020, a Boeing 737-700 with registration N225WN, to proceed to runway 20C and cross runway 13 at taxiway T5. The Southwest crew correctly read back these instructions. Shortly after, the local controller cleared the Alaska Airlines flight for takeoff.
At 09:14:30 CDT, the crew of N919AK reported to the local controller that they were aborting the takeoff. The controller subsequently canceled the takeoff clearance. The Alaska Airlines aircraft exited the runway via taxiway T4 and proceeded toward the gate area. While waiting for an available gate, the aircraft's four main landing gear tires deflated due to the deflation of the fuse plugs. Passengers were deplaned via air stairs.
There were no injuries and no fatalities involving the crew or passengers on either aircraft, and no damage was reported to the airplanes.
The investigation
The NTSB assigned specialists to examine air traffic control, human factors, aircraft performance, and flight data. The investigation included the review of ATC audio recordings and ADS-B data. The flight data recorder from the Alaska Airlines aircraft and the flight data recorder from the Southwest Airlines aircraft were analyzed at the NTSB Vehicle Recorder Laboratory. The cockpit voice recorder from the Southwest Airlines aircraft had been overwritten.