Delta Pilot Radios ‘That Was Close’ After Boston Controller Clears Planes For Takeoff And Landing On Intersecting Runways

Air traffic controllers cleared a Delta flight to land in Boston when a Cape Air flight hadn’t cleared an interecting runway on Thursday. Delta was instructed to go around moments before it was set to touch down. As one of the Delta pilots said on the ATC frequency, “that was close.” Phew.

Delta 263, an Airbus A330 from Paris to New York JFk, was diverting to Boston due to weather. At 4:15 p.m. it finally received the instruction to go around “because Cape Air Flight 548 was cleared to take off from an intersecting runway” according to the FAA which is investigating the incident.

The Delta flight was landing on runway 4R, while Cape Air was departing from 15R. Those runways intersect roughly midfield in Boston.

• Delta checks in for 04R. Tower clears “Runway 4R, cleared to land” and adds “traffic holding on the crossing runway.”

• Seconds later: “Cape 548, turn left heading 060, runway 15R cleared for takeoff.”

• With DL263 on very short final, tower: “Delta 263 heavy, go around… turn 10 degrees left.” Controller then vectors DL263 (left turn, climb to 3,000 ft on ~300° heading) and moves Cape Air 548 off the climb path (left 060°, then departure).

Clearing a landing and a takeoff on intersecting runways demands that the landing aircraft must not cross the threshold until the departure has passed the intersection or turned to avert conflict. The FAA’s rule on Anticipating Separation says you must not use “anticipated separation” when you’re conducting LUAW (line up and wait) operations — you can’t assume the holding aircraft will roll in time.

Boston’s runway 9/27 was closed for a multi‑week safety project, forcing less‑typical runway pairings and higher tower workload. However, clearing both airplanes for intersecting runways put separation at risk. The controller called the go-around in time, but things shouldn’t have been this close.

Cape Air waited 20 to 30 seconds before beginning its takeoff roll, shrinking the margin of safety. But the controller hadn’t required “immediate” or “no delay” takeoff, and hadn’t warned them about the arriving Delta flight on short final.

Controllers are facing staffing shortages. They’re working with delayed pay during the government shutdown. But this was still their error.

The Delta pilot ‘asked for a phone number’ to take up the issue on the ground. One commenter noted they “should’ve declared an emergency for a new pair of pants.”

With a runway down and busy airspace, there’s nothing inherently wrong with issuing a takeoff clearance with another aircraft in short final. But they can’t just assume everything will happen on standard time.

If departure is allowed with an arrival inside two to three nautical miles, takeoff clearance should require “immediate” or “no delay” plus a read‑back from the pilot. Then if wheels don’t roll within about 5 seconds, takeoff clearance should be cancelled. And the departure aircraft should have been informed of the traffic on short final that would be crossing the runway.