Almost Deadly Crash Averted at Washington-Dulles International Airport Due to ATC Error

A United flight cleared for take-off at Washington-Dulles International almost collided with several aircraft crossing the runway because of an error caused by the Air Traffic Controller. This video also takes a look at the Airport Surface Detection Equipment (ASDE-X) developed by the Federal Aviation Administration to prevent situations like this.

*This video utilizes flight simulations to provide a better viewing experience*

ASDE-X Story Board: Courtesy of the Federal Aviation Administration

[chesterlauck]

I retired from Dulles and National ARRF and this doesn't surprise me. The third parallel made it difficult to move around on the aerodrome and you definitely had to pay attention to the ground radio and keep your head on a swivel. Another great video Lex. Thanks

[tyrekegordon]

That is really cool Kelsey over at 74 gear made a video on this explaining that this is a perfect example of just how many things have to go wrong for an accident to occur 1 the air traffic controller forgot about the aircraft 2 the aircrafts crossing the runway weren’t paying attention or they would’ve said hey wait a minute and 3 the pilot taking off saw what was about to happen and aborted takeoff before air traffic control realized what happened if that didn’t happen then there would’ve been an accident. One of the first things we are taught in flight school is regardless of your clearance always look and make sure you are actually clear before doing anything because although atc is very good at not making mistakes like this it can happen I learned that one the hard way during my ppl atc cleared a jet to land while I was still getting my taxi clearance I got to the runway they told me I’m cleared for takeoff seconds before a jet was supposed to land on the same runway

[thunderbolt]

Yeah. That's not odd at all. When tower ATC has 10+ aircraft to manage departings, rwy crossing etc, and alone, it's easy to get lost in the process.
Something must be done to reduce such risks

[sb]

Nice work on the graphics, appreciate the effort. Keep them coming please!

[hacknr]

All involved maintained composure & professionalism despite the clear error. The controller must have felt aghast at his "brain fart" error, but still did his job. Also, they switched out that controller before United was given the 2nd clearance -- a very wise thing to do, not as a punishment, but so that pilots don't lose confidence in ATC.

It's obvious why a controller is relieved from duty when that happens. Mistakes happen, especially in a high workflow environment.

What's not so obvious is what does that controller go through or do after such an incident. Can you shed some light, please?

[Boodieman]

Sounds like the the controller might have a workload that's to high.

[SD-ETAC]

Maybe I’m just over thinking but why would you have segregated runways set up so that arrivals would have to cross an active departure runway in the first place?

[mmichaeldonavon]

Did the pilot who had the rejected take off ask the controller if he was ready to copy "a number" to call? And, it sounded like the pilot was almost apologetic for THE CONTROLLER'S error! I would have asked: "What's going on in that tower?"

[carlosp]

So what typically happens following an ATC error like this?

[fhuber]

Tower... we have a number for you to call. Obvious controller deviation.

[jeffstewart]

Wouldn't this be grounds for job termination?