Air Canada SFO 'Near Miss' Could Have Been Catastrophic

SAN FRANCISCO, CA — An Air Canada pilot prepared to land on a taxiway that was occupied by four other aircraft late Friday night at San Francisco International Airport, according to the Federal Aviation Administration. Reports indicate that it was less just 175 feet off the ground when the Air Canada pulled up and went around.

The incident nearly became “the greatest aviation disaster in history,” retired United Airlines Capt. Ross Aimer, CEO of Aero Consulting Experts has been quoted as saying. “If you could imagine an Airbus colliding with four passenger aircraft wide bodies, full of fuel and passengers, then you can imagine how horrific this could have been,” he said.

Air Canada Flight AC759, inbound from Toronto, was cleared to land on Runway 28R just before midnight, according to the FAA.

The pilot inadvertently "lined up" for Taxiway C, which parallels Runway 28R, according to the FAA. An air traffic controller directed the pilot to make another approach and the pilot landed without incident.

Flight AC759 was an Airbus A320 carrying 135 passengers and five crewmembers, according to a spokesperson for Air Canada who confirmed that the pilot "initiated a go-around" but declined to offer additional information.

— Bay City News contributed to this report; Image via Pixabay