Report: Jets Had 'Near Miss' Over Eagan FAA Investigating March 12 Incident MINNEAPOLIS, 6:21 a.m. CST March 28, 2001 -- The alert action of the pilot of a commercial airliner reportedly avoided what could have a mid-air collision between two airliners over Eagan in mid-March.

The two Northwest jets -- a DC-9 and Airbus 320 -- ended up flying within 200 feet of one another while over the Dakota County suburb March 12, according to broadcast reports in the Twin Cities.

The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating the incident.

A pilot of one of the planes apparently heeded a cockpit computer's warning to gain altitude, an action which defied orders from the control tower to level off the plane. That action avoided what would have been a mid-air crash, an anonymous source told a reporter.

Northwest officials say the FAA is investigating the incident as a potential air traffic control issue and that the aircraft were never closer to one another than a quarter-mile.

The FAA recommends that large passenger jets near terminals remain three miles apart horizontally and 1,000 feet vertically.

http://www.channel4000.com/news/stories/news-56215020010328-050307.html

-- Doris (nocents@bellsouth.net), March 29, 2001