The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating a close call at Boston Logan International Airport after a Delta Air Lines jet was forced to abort a landing to avoid an American Airlines plane departing from an intersecting runway.
The incident happened Saturday and involved Delta Flight 2351 arriving from Dallas. According to the FAA and flight logs, the Delta crew performed a go-around, a standard aborted-landing procedure, after the aircraft came into conflict with an American Airlines plane taking off nearby.
Aviation safety expert Todd Curtis, a former Boeing safety engineer, estimated that the two aircraft came within roughly 300 feet of each other based on Flightradar24 tracking data. Curtis called the incident significant, especially because it involved two professional airline crews and a major U.S. airport.
Delta said the crew coordinated with air traffic control and safely completed the go-around. The aircraft, carrying 129 passengers and six crew members, later landed safely and deplaned normally.
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The FAA describes go-arounds as safe and routine procedures that pilots or air traffic controllers can use when landing conditions are not right. In this case, the maneuver appears to have prevented a potentially dangerous runway conflict.
The agency has not yet released a final explanation of what caused the close call. Investigators are expected to review air traffic control communications, radar data, runway assignments, crew actions and airport procedures.
The Boston incident comes as federal officials and lawmakers are already focused on runway incursions and near-miss events at U.S. airports. A Senate aviation subcommittee is expected to hold a hearing on runway safety and ways to strengthen the national airspace system.
Runway incursions have drawn increased attention in recent years after several close calls involving commercial aircraft. While the U.S. aviation system remains extremely safe, these incidents have raised concerns about staffing, communication, airport layout and the need for better collision-warning technology on the ground.
Boston Logan is one of the busiest airports in the Northeast, with intersecting runways and heavy traffic from domestic and international carriers. Airports with complex runway layouts require careful coordination between pilots and controllers, especially during takeoffs and landings.
No injuries were reported in Saturday’s incident, and both flights avoided contact. Still, the narrow distance described by the aviation expert is likely to make the event a serious focus for investigators.
For passengers, the key point is that the safety system worked in the moment: the Delta crew aborted the landing and returned for a safe arrival. For regulators, the larger question is why the planes came close enough to require that action.
Why It Matters
The incident matters because it highlights ongoing concerns about runway safety at major U.S. airports. Even when go-arounds work as intended, close calls between commercial aircraft are taken seriously because they can reveal weaknesses in communication, procedures or airport traffic management.
What Comes Next
The FAA will continue investigating the Boston Logan close call and may release more details after reviewing flight data and air traffic control records. Lawmakers are also expected to question aviation officials about runway incursions and near-miss prevention during an upcoming Senate hearing.
A flight-tracking video showed the Delta aircraft going around after an American Airlines plane departed from an intersecting runway at Boston Logan.
CLOSE CALL: Delta Air Lines flight was forced to go around while approaching Boston Logan Airport after its crew spotted an AA jet departing from an intersecting runway The FAA confirmed the incident, and the Delta aircraft landed safely a short time later pic.twitter.com/2p0xgu4c1u
— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) June 21, 2026
