Republic Airways Flight 4464 performed a go-around shortly after 2:30 p.m., cutting directly into the path of Jazz Aviation Flight 554 as both aircraft tried to land. The Republic aircraft rapidly descended approximately 600 feet within seconds while passing over Long Beach, and the Jazz jet climbed by nearly 1,000 feet. Controllers told pilots in both planes to take evasive actions and the initial landing was aborted before the jets eventually made safe landings at approximately 3 p.m.
The FAA has launched an investigation into the incident. The agency praised both flight crews for reacting promptly and taking appropriate action, successfully averting what could have been a catastrophic collision. Republic Airways confirmed that the pilots received a resolution advisory, an anti-collision alert issued by the aircraft's Traffic Collision Avoidance System. In the air traffic control audio, anti-collision alarms were heard blaring in the tower and cockpit. The pilots told the controllers they were responding to the RA alarm, or 'resolution advisories', which is the most serious of the anti-collision warnings pilots can get.
Audio recordings from ATC.com of exchanges between pilots and air traffic control corroborated the radar data. Flight tracking service FlightRadar24 revealed that Republic Airways Flight 4464 and Jazz Aviation Flight 554 came alarmingly close to one another as they made their approach to the runway. Republic Airways was operating the flight on behalf of American Airlines.
The cause of the go-around by Republic Airways Flight 4464 remains unclear, and it is not yet known whether human errors by pilots or air traffic controllers contributed to the incident. The FAA investigation is ongoing, and its specific findings or conclusions have not been disclosed. It is also uncertain if disciplinary actions or safety recommendations will be issued as a result, and how this incident compares to other recent close calls in terms of severity and contributing factors.