- Date
- February 4, 2023, 06:40 local (12:40 UTC)
- Place
- Austin, TX
- Injuries
- 131 uninjured
- Phase of flight
- Takeoff
- Defining events
- Takeoff: Runway incursion veh/AC/personApproach-IFR missed approach: Near midair/TCAS alert/loss of separation
- Weather
- Instrument (IMC) · Night
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Board-adopted at Board Meeting · Board meeting June 6, 2024
- Investigation class
- Class 1
- NTSB office
- Major Investigations Division
- Parties
- NATCA, Federal Express, Alpa, FAA, Boeing Air Safety Investigation, SWAPA, Honeywell, Southwest - Flight Safety
- Safety recommendations
- Yes
- Case key
- 106680
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the incident.
On this page
Probable cause
the local controller’s incorrect assumption that the Southwest Airlines (SWA) airplane would depart from the runway before the Federal Express airplane arrived on the same runway, which resulted in a loss of separation between both airplanes. Contributing to the controller’s incorrect assumption were his expectation bias regarding the SWA airplane’s departure, his lack of situational awareness regarding the SWA airplane’s position when the flight crew requested takeoff clearance, and the air traffic control tower’s lack of training (before the incident) on low visibility operations. Contributing to the incident was the SWA flight crewmembers’ failure to account for the traffic that was on short final approach and to notify the controller that they would need additional time on the runway before the takeoff roll. Also contributing to the incident was the Federal Aviation Administration’s failure to require surface detection equipment at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport and direct alerting for flight crews.
Findings · 13
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
N7827A · Boeing 737-79P
N297FE · Boeing 767-32LF
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
N7827A · Boeing 737-79P
N297FE · Boeing 767-32LF
Analysis
On February 4, 2023, about 0640 central standard time, Southwest Airlines (SWA) flight 708, a Boeing 737-700, N7827A, and Federal Express Corporation (FedEx) flight 1432, a Boeing 767-300, N297FE, were involved in a runway incursion at Austin Bergstrom International Airport (AUS), Austin, Texas. The flight crew of the FedEx airplane, which was arriving on runway 18L, executed a missed approach as the SWA airplane was departing from the same runway. The 128 occupants aboard the SWA airplane and the 3 occupants aboard the FedEx airplane were not injured, and neither airplane sustained damage. SWA flight 708 was a regularly scheduled international passenger flight operating under Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 121 from AUS to Cancún International Airport (CUN), Cancún, Mexico. FedEx flight 1432 was a domestic cargo flight operating under Part 121 from Memphis International Airport (MEM), Memphis, Tennessee, to AUS. Night instrument meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the incident.
Aircraft · 2
- Registration
- N7827A
- Reported as
- Boeing 737-79P
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 28255
- Built
- 2003
- Airframe hours
- 56,774
- Engines
- CFM Intl CFM56-7B24, 24,200 lbs thrust, turbo fanCFM Intl CFM56-7B24, 24,200 lbs thrust, turbo fan
- Damage
- No damage
- Flight
- Part 121
- Operator
- Southwest Airlines Co
- Registered owner
- Southwest Airlines Co
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Transport
- Last inspection
- Continuous airworthiness · January 29, 2023
- Destination
- MMEX · Cancun, OF
- Flight plan
- IFR
- Airport
- AUS · Austin-Bergstrom International Airport, runway 18L, 9,000 × 150 ft, concrete
- Equipment
- Unknown
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
- Registration
- N297FE
- Reported as
- Boeing 767-32LF
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 41068
- Built
- 2012
- Engines
- GE CF6-80C2B6F, 60,030 lbs thrust, turbo fanGE CF6-80C2B6F, 60,030 lbs thrust, turbo fan
- Damage
- No damage
- Flight
- Part 121
- Operator
- Federal Express Corp
- Registered owner
- Federal Express Corp
- Airworthiness certificate
- Unknown
- Departed
- KMEM · Memphis, TN
- Destination
- Same as departure
- Flight plan
- IFR
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew · 4
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot, aircraft N7827A
- Age
- 54
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- August 7, 2022
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 5-point
- Flight hours
- 20,600 total · 6,000 in this make and model · 17,200 as pilot in command · 140 in the last 90 days · 60 in the last 30 days · 6 in the last 24 hours
- Role
- Co-pilot, aircraft N7827A
- Age
- 49
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Commercial, Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- January 21, 2023
- Seat
- Right
- Restraint
- 5-point
- Flight hours
- 8,907 total · 4,893 in this make and model · 2,515 as pilot in command · 230 in the last 90 days · 79 in the last 30 days · 5 in the last 24 hours
- Role
- Pilot, aircraft N297FE
- Age
- 56
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Commercial, Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land
- Medical
- Class 1, Without waivers/limitations
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 5-point
- Flight hours
- 23,500 total · 16,000 in this make and model
- Role
- Pilot, aircraft N297FE
- Age
- 49
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Commercial, Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 1, With waivers/limitations
- Seat
- Right
- Restraint
- 5-point
- Flight hours
- 8,000 total · 465 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Instrument (IMC) · Night
- Wind
- Calm
- Temperature
- 30 °F, dew point 30 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.43 inHg
- Observed at
- AUS
Docket · 42
The files NTSB released with the investigation on November 29, 2023, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 2.2 GB in all.