What happened
On October 19, 2024, at 14:50 PDT, a runway incursion occurred at Long Beach Airport (LGB), California, involving a Boeing 737-7H4, registration N250WN, and a Diamond DA40, registration N895AM. There were no injuries and no damage to either aircraft.
The Diamond DA40 was operating as a Part 91 personal flight, traveling from Camarillo Airport (CMA) to Long Beach. The Boeing 73 3, operating as Southwest Airlines flight SWA1671, was a Part 121 passenger flight arriving from San Francisco Bay Oakland International Airport (OAK).
According to air traffic control recordings, the crew of the Diamond DA40 initially reported being inbound on the RNAV Runway 30 Zulu approach. The local control controller cleared the aircraft to land on runway 30 but instructed the crew to hold short of runway 26 right due to traffic. Although the crew requested to circle to land on runway 26 right, the controller denied this request and re-cleared the aircraft to land on runway 30 while holding short of runway 26 right. The crew acknowledged these instructions correctly.
At 14:46:46, the crew of the Boeing 737 established communication with the controller, reporting they were inbound to land on runway 30. The controller cleared the Boeing 737 to land on runway 30 and provided a traffic advisory regarding an uninvolved aircraft in the pattern. Shortly after, the controller provided an additional advisory regarding a Cessna landing on runway 26 left.
At 14:49:50, the crew of the Diamond DA40 notified the controller that they were holding short of runway 26 right on runway 30. At 14:50:05, as the Boeing 737 was completing its landing roll on runway 30, the crew notified the controller that another aircraft was on the runway. Both aircraft subsequently taxied to their respective parking areas without further incident.
The investigation
An NTSB Air Traffic Control working group was formed, including the FAA and the National Air Traffic Controllers Association (NATCA). The investigation utilized FAA-provided ADS-B data and audio recordings. During the week of October 28, 2024, the working group conducted interviews at the Long Beach Airport Traffic Control Tower with the local control controllers, the operations supervisor, the NATCA Vice Facility Representative, and the Air Traffic Manager.