The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is investigating an incident involving a Southwest Airlines jet that reportedly took off from a closed runway at Portland International Jetport in Maine on 25 June.
The safety investigatory agency provides no detail about the incident but says it expects within 30 days to issue a preliminary report.
Portland’s “primary” runway 11/29, which runs roughly east-west, has been closed nightly from 22:30-05:45 since 22 April due to an airport capital improvement programme, according to the airport’s website. During those hours aircraft are to use the north-south runway 18/36, the airport’s only other runway.
Southwest confirms it is “engaged” with the NTSB and the Federal Aviation Administration related to “circumstances of an early morning Southwest departure” on 25 June. The incident involved Southwest flight 4805, the airline says.
Flight tracking websites show that Southwest flight 4805 from Portland to Baltimore – operated by a Boeing 737-700 – took off from Portland’s runway 29 at 05:43 on the 25 June.
Neither the FAA nor the Portland Jetport immediately responded to requests for comment.
Runway closures have played a role in notable airline incidents, including a near-miss involving an Air Canada Airbus A320 at San Francisco in July 2017. That jet’s pilots were unaware the airport’s Runway 28L was closed, leading them to incorrectly line up to land on a parallel taxiway. At the time, four other commercial jets were on that taxiway.
The Air Canada aircraft descended to 60ft before initiating a go-around, according to the NTSB.
