'He flew right over us!' Audio captures the chilling moment an Air Canada plane nearly landed on FOUR other planes full of people, almost causing the biggest disaster in aviation history
- The Airbus A320 was supposed to land at San Francisco's 28R runway on Friday
- Instead it headed towards the parallel taxiway for planes about to take off
- Pilot can be heard asking the tower if the runway is clear because he sees lights
- Tower tells him he's clear to land - but there were four planes on the taxiway
- One of those pilots spotted the plane heading towards them and called it in
- He can be heard saying 'Where is this guy going? He’s on the taxiway!' in audio
- Air Canada's plane was redirected at last minute - avoiding catastrophe
- The planes were all jumbo jets, each potentially containing hundreds of people
The terrifying moment an Air Canada jet nearly landed on four other passenger planes on Friday has been captured in audio.
Pilots and the control tower at San Francisco International Airport (SFO) can be heard remarking in astonishment as the AC759 narrowly misses them on the packed taxiway.
The dramatic moment - which could have claimed more than a thousand lives - was very nearly a history-making catastrophe.
'If it is true, what happened probably came close to the greatest aviation disaster in history,' retired United Airlines Capt. Ross Aimer, CEO of Aero Consulting Experts told The Mercury News.
Scroll down for audio
Near miss: San Francisco International Airport (pictured) avoided a cataclysmic disaster Friday when an Air Canada plane containing up to 220 people nearly landed on four other jumbo jets
Narrow escape: The pilot thought he was flying into Runway 28R, which was empty, but was actually heading towards Taxiway C, which had four planes on it. He was diverted at the last moment
The incident occurred at 11:56pm on Friday, as the Air Canada jet - an Airbus A320 carrying 135 passengers and five crew - was coming into land at SFO.
Typically, incoming international planes air directed to one of two runways: 28L or 28R, referred to verbally as '28-Left' or '28-Right'.
In the audio, the Air Canada pilot can be heard asking SFO control if he's heading towards the right runway.
'Tower control, I just want to confirm that - this is Air Canada 759, I can see some lights on the runway there, across the runway, can you confirm we're good to land?'
'Canada 759, confirmed to land on runway 28-Right, there is no one on 28-Right but you.'
But what the tower doesn't know is that the pilot isn't lined up for runway 28R at all.
Instead, he's heading for Taxiway C, which lies parallel directly next to it, and on which four passenger planes were waiting to get into position for takeoff.
The model of those planes is unclear, but they could have had between 200 and 480 passengers each, if at full capacity.
As the Air Canada jet thanks airport control, another pilot, audibly agitated buzzes in: 'Where is this guy going? He's on the Taxiway!'
Tower quickly tells the plane to 'go around' and it peels off, narrowly avoiding a massive collision.
'Air Canada flew directly over us,' another pilot says.
'Yeah, I saw that guys,' replies the tower.
Inbound: The Air Canada plane came into SFO airport on Friday intending to land on Runway 28R, but ended up heading straight for Taxiway C, where other planes were waiting
Concerns: The Air Canada pilot called in concerns because he spotted lights ahead but traffic control told him to carry on, saying 28R was clear, apparently unaware he was heading to C
Diverted: One of the other pilots spotted the plane flying toward him at the last minute and informed control, who quickly told the Air Canada Plane to pull up and divert
Scary: The Air Canada plane was an Airbus A320 (pictured, at a Toronto airport) which can contain as many as 220 people. It's unclear what the others were, but they were reportedly all 'wide body' planes with two aisles, capable of containing as many as 480 people each
Captain Aimer said that if the tower hadn't been able to swiftly redirect the Air Canada plane, disaster would have followed.
'If you could imagine an Airbus colliding with four passenger aircraft wide bodies, full of fuel and passengers, then you can imagine how horrific this could have been,' he remarked.
It's not yet known what types of planes were on the taxiway, but 'wide body' planes are the large, two-aisle planes capable of transporting hundreds of people internationally.
Wide bodies can between 200 and 480 passengers, plus crew.
Even if the other planes were at the lower end of the scale, and only half full, a collision could well have killed several hundred people.
Aimer added that the incident had become the talk of pilots everywhere.
'This is pretty huge,' he said. 'My buddies called and asked if I knew about it. They're a sitting duck on the taxiway. They can't go anywhere.'
In a statement, Air Canada said in part: 'We are still investigating the circumstances and therefore have no additional information to offer.'
It did not confirm whether any action has been taken against the pilot.
San Francisco International Airport has also been contacted.
The FAA have launched an investigation, as has Air Canada.
Investigation: The FAA is now investigating the near-miss, which one expert said could have been the 'greatest aviation disaster in history'
Most watched News videos
- Man carries his adorably pathetic golden retriever up escalator
- Tourist brutally pushed down stairs after arguing with landlord
- Disgusting moment huge ear wax build up removed from woman's ear
- Acrobat dances in cage suspended 100ft in air moments before tragedy
- Police officer yells at woman for leaving her children in hot car
- Channel 4 documentary reveals new details on bookseller murder
- Man grabs a huge shark by the tail with unsurprising results
- 'Air Canada flew directly over us': Near miss at SF Airport
- Busker gives rousing rendition of 'I dreamed a dream'
- Heartwarming moment baby lioness is rescued from deep well
- Australian journalist rips into Donald Trump's G20 behaviour
- Moment huge fire blazes furiously over Camden Lock Market
- Disgusting moment a huge amount of wax is pulled from...
- Spot the big cat? Camouflaged leopard heading for its...
- Captured jihadis are paraded for the cameras in Mosul as...
- Stunning moment 80 Florida beachgoers risk their lives...
- Mother, 20, who smothered her toddler daughter before...
- Andrew isn't the only Royal to host private parties......
- Les Mis-tery SOLVED! Busker whose rendition of I Dreamed...
- Stepfather 'who beat stepson to death over lost shoe is...
- Couple welcomes twin boys two years after their two sons...
- Go Jo! Johanna Konta becomes first British woman in 39...
- Brave five-year-old who touched the hearts of people...
- Belgian ban on wearing full-face veils in public is...
- Let Charlie go: Mother who agreed for doctors to turn off...
- ‘I love it’: Don Jr forced to reveal email chain with...
- Blac Chyna threatens to sue 'side-piece' Rarri True if he...
- Novak Djokovic posts fawning message to his 'soulmate'...
- Widow whose husband died after she banished him to the...
- Shocking photos reveal the squalid conditions where a...