Southwest Airlines Flight Makes Sudden Climb to Dodge Collision on Chicago Runway

CHICAGO — A Southwest Airlines flight experienced a near-miss incident at Chicago’s Midway Airport on Tuesday morning. As Flight 2504 approached for landing around 8:50 a.m. CST, pilots were forced to execute a sudden climb to avoid colliding with a business jet that had entered the runway without clearance.

Video footage from an airport webcam shows the Southwest aircraft briefly touching down before the nose was abruptly lifted, evading the unauthorized plane. An airline spokesperson later confirmed that the aircraft successfully completed a precautionary go-around and landed safely.

In radio communications, the Southwest pilot could be heard questioning air traffic control about the incident, highlighting the surprise and concern over how the situation unfolded.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has launched an investigation into the events surrounding the unauthorized entry of the business jet onto the runway. The flight was traveling from Omaha, Nebraska, to Midway Airport, according to tracking data from FlightAware.

This incident raises significant safety concerns regarding air traffic management and the protocols that ensure aircraft maintain safe operational procedures at busy airports.