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The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating another close call at Hollywood-Burbank Airport. A Southwest Airlines flight from Phoenix was preparing to land on Runway 8 just before 10 a.m. on a Saturday morning when air traffic control noticed a Los Angeles Fire Department helicopter performing touch-and-go landings on the same runway. The controller instructed the helicopter to remain in place and told the Southwest pilot to “go around” and not to land.
This is the second such incident at Hollywood-Burbank in recent weeks. On Feb. 22, a SkyWest Airlines plane was given clearance to take off at the same time a Mesa Airlines jet was coming in for a landing, triggering an alarm in the Mesa Airlines plane.
Retired commercial pilot and aviation expert, Ross “Rusty” Aimer, attributes the rise in close calls to increased air travel and busier control towers. However, Aimer assures the public that the system is safe.