Southwest Airlines flight almost takes off from taxiway rather than runway at Orlando airport
A Southwest Airlines flight almost took off from a taxiway, rather than a runway, at Orlando International Airport in Florida on Thursday before an air traffic controller stopped the plane, officials said.
Southwest Flight 3278 had been cleared for takeoff and initiated a takeoff roll on a taxiway after the crew mistook the surface for the nearby runway, officials said. But air traffic controllers canceled the clearance before the plane could take off.
No injuries were reported, and passengers on the flight were accommodated on another aircraft heading to their destination of Albany, New York, the airline said in a statement. The aircraft was switched to help facilitate an investigation.
Taxiways are routes used by planes to move on the ground between gates, hangars and runways. Runways are the long, usually paved, areas of airports specifically meant for takeoffs and landings.
The taxiway involved runs parallel to the runway, the Federal Aviation Administration said in a statement.
Southwest is working with the agency and the National Transportation Safety Board as they look into the incident, the carrier said.
"Nothing is more important to Southwest than the Safety of our Customers and Employees," Southwest added.
