You’d suppose we might’ve discovered our lesson a couple of lack of separation between industrial plane and helicopters close to airports from the deadly crash earlier this 12 months, however right here’s one other incident that leaves us shaking our heads…
Southwest 737 & medical helicopter have very shut name
VASAviation has the story of an incident that occurred on Wednesday, October 29, 2025, at Cleveland Hopkins Worldwide Airport (CLE). The incident entails a Southwest Boeing 737-700 that was approaching the airport as flight WN1333 from Baltimore (BWI), in addition to a Metro Life Flight Eurocopter EC-145 (a medical emergency helicopter).
The Southwest jet was given clearance to land on runway 6L, whereas the helicopter was crossing the airspace from south to north. Lengthy story brief, the helicopter crossed immediately within the path of the Southwest 737, to the purpose that the Southwest aircraft received a Site visitors Collision Avoidance System (TCAS) alert, on account of lack of separation. Because of this, the Southwest pilots carried out a go round.
The jet and the helicopter had been on the similar altitude, with lower than half a mile separation. Actually, I’d advocate simply watching the under video, as VASAviation does such a superb job with visualizations of those incidents. I feel anybody watching the under video might see from effectively earlier than the incident how this was going to unfold.
It’s form of surreal to hearken to this interplay
As everyone seems to be conscious, in January 2025 we noticed an American Eagle jet and a army helicopter crash into each other close to Washington Nationwide Airport (DCA). On reflection, everybody mentioned “how might one thing like this occur?” Properly, there are fairly some similarities between that incident and this one, when it comes to the helicopter being instructed to keep up visible separation from the jet, just for that to not be enough.
What’s so unusual about this incident is how there form of appears to be a diffusion of duty. It’s not that the air visitors controller was distracted and didn’t see what was occurring — fairly on the contrary, he was acutely conscious.
It’s regular for helicopters to transition busy airspace, and provided that this was a medical helicopter, it additionally had excessive precedence for taking a direct route. However nonetheless, that is completely wild on a wide range of ranges:
- The helicopter pilot claimed to have the Southwest aircraft in sight, however the controller stored reminding him of the placement, so clearly this was all too shut for consolation for him, although he remained silent
- The helicopter pilot claimed he was going to keep up visible separation from the Southwest 737, however clearly received method too shut; the problem is, there’s no precise printed steerage as to what visible separation means, when it comes to acceptable distance in such a situation
- The air visitors controller requested if the helicopter pilot might move behind the Southwest 737, however he responded “it’d be higher if we will go above it and in entrance of it if we will”
My takeaway right here is principally that the helicopter pilot was saying “we’ve the visitors in sight, however we’re not really going to do something to keep away from it.” Moreover, the helicopter pilot was basically saying “yeah, we’d prefer to move in entrance of the Southwest 737, on the similar precise altitude the place planes normally fly at that time.” That ought to’ve raised some pink flags, notably for the controller, who is aware of precisely what altitude planes are going to be at on descent.
That is only a large breakdown in communication throughout the board. Paradoxically the Southwest pilots had been the one ones who didn’t have the visitors in sight, they usually had been those who referred to as the go round because of the TCAS alert. In the meantime the air visitors controller and helicopter pilot knew precisely how shut they had been, however… seemingly did nothing with that info?
I can’t assist however suppose again to Nathan Fielder’s unbelievable present, The Rehearsal, and suppose that’s very related right here. It’s inexplicable how the air visitors controller knew precisely what was occurring, however selected to not take motion.
Backside line
A Southwest Airways Boeing 737 approaching Cleveland Airport had a really shut name with a helicopter. Bizarrely, each the air visitors controller and helicopter knew precisely what was occurring, but selected to do nothing about it. The Southwest pilots received a TCAS alert and carried out a go round, however the jet and helicopter had been dangerously shut.
This communication breakdown is complicated below any circumstances, however is especially unsettling in mild of January’s deadly crash.
What do you make of this unusual incident at Cleveland Airport?
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