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Sep 23, 2008 1:30 pm US/Eastern

Close Call Reported At Lehigh Airport

ALLENTOWN, Pa. (AP) ― An airliner preparing to take off from a Pennsylvania airport came within 10 feet of hitting a light plane on the runway because of a trainee's error in the air traffic control tower.

United Express Flight 7138 had to swerve to avoid hitting the Cessna four-seater at Lehigh Valley International Airport near Allentown on Friday night.

Federal transportation officials said Monday that the jetliner was going about 140 mph when the flight crew spotted the smaller plane and aborted takeoff. Officials say the Cessna had just landed.

The National Air Traffic Controllers Association says a trainee mistakenly thought the Cessna had left the runway and cleared the United Express flight for takeoff.

There were no injuries to those aboard the Cessna or among the 60 passengers on the jet, which was operated by Phoenix-based Mesa Air Group Inc.


(© 2008 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

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