Description

On 19 June 2011, an Embraer ERJ145 being operated by Expressjet AL on a scheduled passenger flight departing Gulfport in day Visual Meteorological Conditions (VMC) came into close proximity with a privately operated Cessna 172 which had just departed another runway at the same airport which had an extended centreline which passed through the centreline of the runway used by the 145. There was no manoeuvring by either aircraft and no injuries to any occupants.

Investigation

After an initial delay in receiving notification of the event, the National Transportation Safety Board (USA) (NTSB) carried out an Investigation.

It was established that both aircraft had been being flown in accordance with their ATC clearances, the 145 taking off from runway 14 shortly after the Cessna had taken off from runway 18 and that the same controller had issued both take off clearances. Radar data showed that the 145 had crossed 300 feet laterally ahead of the Cessna when both were at an altitude of 300 feet and still within the airport perimeter. No traffic information was issued to either aircraft and it appeared that the E145 pilots had not noticed that the Cessna had just received a conflicting take off clearance.