Airline flight crew reported a commercial jet on their landing runway resulted in a go-around and critical ground conflict.
Synopsis
Airline flight crew reported a commercial jet on their landing runway resulted in a go-around and critical ground conflict.
Narrative
We were cleared for the visual approach to Runway 9C. Cleared to land; hold short of TT. Our planned runway exit point was E4. At about 200' AGL; an Aircraft Y started to cross our runway from left to right. We were in the flare and he was still in the middle of our runway; so we executed a go-around for safety. After the fact; we concluded that he must have been crossing our runway at TT. This may be perfectly standard procedure. However; in the flare it is difficult to ascertain how far down the runway this large aircraft was located. And the distance between our planned exit of E4 and TT is not that much. What if we floated; landed long; had brake issues? What do the passengers think on the right side of the aircraft get as they see another large aircraft barreling towards them? Our cockpit crew has a combined flying experience of well over XX years. We have been given many hold short landing clearances. And none of us has ever seen another aircraft cross an active runway while a landing aircraft is in the flare or rolling down the runway. If this is the new traffic pattern procedures at ORD; I think it is trouble waiting to happen.
Second reporter narrative
I was the Relief Pilot on 9C visual approach short final to ORD from ZZZZ FLT XXX on Day 0. Approach was stable being flown by the FO. We had been told to land and hold short TT. On short final below 200' a Aircraft Y was cleared to cross our runway and it proceeded across. At our low altitude and angle it was very hard to tell what taxiway the Aircraft Y was on. The jet looked very large and was exactly in the center of the runway when the decision was made to go around. The go-around was uneventful and we returned for landing
Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.