Close calls in Chicago skies: Experts highlight near-midair collisions at O'Hare, Midway
Aviation safety experts highlight close calls at Chicago airports
How safe is Chicago’s airspace? Reports show alarming close calls at O’Hare and Midway.
CHICAGO - It’s been months since the fatal midair collision between an American Airlines regional jet and an Army Black Hawk helicopter over the Potomac River.
As federal investigators continue to raise safety concerns about what happened at Reagan National Airport, FOX 32 Chicago Investigates wanted to find out if an accident like that could happen here.
What we know:
The airspace around Reagan National Airport in Washington, D.C. is described as complex. As we saw back in January, that could lead to a deadly disaster.
The same could also be said for the airspace around O'Hare International Airport. It once held the title – and is still considered one of the busiest airports in the world. Things are also far from quiet at Chicago’s Midway Airport.
With hundreds of flights taking off and landing daily at each Chicago airport, public records show a number of near-midair collisions have been reported at each one over the last decade.
FOX 32 Chicago Investigates obtained the safety reports that pilots, captains, and air traffic controllers have filed over the last 10 years regarding safety events at Midway, as well as the reports filed for O'Hare for the last decade – which were also filed on NASA’s Aviation Safety Reporting System.
We searched these records and found seven near-midair collisions reported at Midway and twelve at O'Hare. In one report, a Boeing 737 and a Cessna were within just a few hundred feet of each other. While another report from 2015 at O'Hare seemed somewhat similar to the fatal collision at DCA in January. It, too, involved a helicopter.
According to the report, a captain flying a regional jet "experiences a near mid-air collision with a helicopter at 500 feet during approach to Runway 10L." It states, "The tower had alerted the crew to the helicopter's presence, then advised that it was no factor."
Dig deeper:
We asked aviation safety expert Henry Krakowski to take a look at the near-miss reports we found for O'Hare and Midway. He is a retired United Airlines pilot with 30 years of experience in the cockpit and as the company’s "Chief Pilot" or VP of Flight Operations.
"I was expecting more reports. That told me in general the airspace around O'Hare, Midway, and the Chicago area in general is pretty safe relative to midair collisions, things like that," Krakowski said.
He has also worked for the FAA as its COO, overseeing the nation’s air traffic control system.
When Krakowski looked at our research, he did see a safety concern.
"The other thing that struck me in the reports were the amount of near-midair collisions with drones. Small drones," he said. "And what really alarmed me is some of the drones were at higher altitudes. 8,000 feet. 10,000 feet. They shouldn’t be there without FAA knowing about them and authorization."
Krakowski says that’s a big issue.
"So the threat is a collision. And if you remember, a couple of geese brought down an airliner to the Hudson River in New York City about a decade ago. A drone can do at least that amount of damage if it hits the engine or if it hits a critical component," he said.
Just look at the wildfires from earlier this year. As one firefighting aircraft was battling that blaze, it was hit by a drone and ended up with about $70,000 in damage.
"There’s more and more drones every day, so that tells me that unless something changes in terms of the ability for air traffic to see the drones or the other aircraft to see the drone, there’s probably going to be more incidents," Krakowski said.
We also asked Mike Ginter at the Air Safety Institute to look at the reports we found.
"Some of the reports you sent us were very close. Thankfully they didn’t hit the airliner," Ginter said.
He, too, is concerned about the high number of near-midair collisions involving drone operators in the controlled airspace near O'Hare and Midway.
"The problem we see persistently is typically these midair collisions, near-midair collisions are happening with drone operators that aren't really schooled in how the airspace system works," Ginter said.
He says drones are not allowed to fly in controlled airspace near big airports in Chicago or anywhere else in the country. With the hundreds of thousands of drones being sold, he says that adds up to an education problem – one that can be solved when the owner becomes FAA certified – which is something all drone pilots are required to do.
"There are far more drone operators that aren't aware of the rules that they should comply with. And that's the reason we're putting out the messaging with the government industry to get more drone operators aware of the rules. Safely integrating means they have to understand the airspace they're flying into. You can't go buy a drone and physically fly it anywhere you want," Ginter said.
Big picture view:
While the Air Safety Institute works with the FAA and other groups on that messaging, Krakowski says some changes also need to be made when it comes to aviation technology – like developing devices that make it easier for a plane to be aware a drone is approaching.
"There are new technologies for tracking of drones that are going to be put on future drones that are under development right now. So that’s a good thing," Krakowski said.
Since drones don't have "eyes" or see, Krakowski says aerospace engineers are also working on developing new equipment that would allow them to "sense and avoid" other aircraft when flying. It would also allow planes to see small drones before it's too late.
"In the reports that we looked at, it really surprised some of the pilots how close they came. They didn’t see it far enough away to take evasive action. (Turns head) Boom! Went by the window. And really startled one of the crews in particular," Krakowski said.
What's next:
There’s another development on the horizon when it comes to integrating drones safely into controlled airspace.
The FAA is also expected to soon begin the process for public comment on establishing new rules and regulations for drones that can fly beyond a pilot's visual line of sight.
The Source: FOX 32 Chicago Investigates reported on this story.