The FAA revealed today (January 14) that a Delta Air Lines flight and a United Airlines flight busted separation requirements on approach to Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport (KPHX) in Arizona, midday on January 11. The Delta Airbus A330-300 and the United Boeing 737-900ER were inbound from Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport (KDTW) and San Francisco International Airport (KSFO), respectively. According to the FAA, “Both flight crews received onboard alerts that the other aircraft was nearby. Air traffic control issued corrective instructions to both flight crews.”
Data from FlightRadar24 shows the path of the United Boeing on a long final approach to KPHX coming within a few hundred feet of the Delta Airbus, which was turning toward the runway from the north above Estrella Village, about 10 miles west of the airport. United Flight 1724 was at 4,150 feet above sea level, while Delta Flight 1070 was at 3,470 feet. The airport elevation is 1,135 feet. Both aircraft subsequently entered holding patterns and landed without further incident.
