Fedex pilot was concerned about Southwest jet taking off below him but was told to CONTINUE descent

The captain of a FedEx cargo plane that had been cleared for landing last month at the Austin-Bergstrom Airport was concerned about the presence of a Southwest jet on the runway below.

The Boeing 767 cargo airplane was several miles from the airport when it was cleared to land, according to the FAA but just before it was about to touch down an air traffic controller also gave the go-ahead for the Southwest Boeing 737 to take off on the exact same stretch of tarmac. 

According to federal investigators, the pilot asked for and received confirmation that he was clear to land. But as the FedEx plane made its way through foggy conditions to the runway, the flight's first officer decided not to attempt to complete the landing given how close the Southwest fight was. 

'Southwest abort,' the FedEx crew broadcast, according to the federal report. 'FedEx is on the go.'

The two planes appeared to come within 75 vertical feet of one another, though the NTSB is continuing to investigate the minimum distance that occurred between the planes. 

This model shows how close the two planes came to having an unscheduled meeting on the runway 

Graphics of the near-miss incident show how close on the runway the FedEx plane and passenger Southwest flight came to collision

The FedEx aircraft had to suddenly pull up and managed to climb several hundred feet within seconds as the crew averted catastrophe

The FedEx plane climbed back into the skies away from the Southwest flight  carrying 128 passengers, which continued its takeoff toward Cancún. The FedEx plane landed safely soon after. 

The incident is one of a growing handful of recent close calls at airports that the National Transportation Safety Board is investigating.

The most recent incident occurred Monday, when a JetBlue pilot had to dodge a Learjet that was crossing the runway as the first plane was about to land.

So far the incidents have caused no injuries, but the close calls have drawn raised eyebrows on Capitol Hill and prompted the acting head of the Federal Aviation Administration issued a memo in February guiding the industry toward a renewed focus on safety, according to the Washington Post. 

The NTSB report does not indicate what might have caused the close call on the runway in Austin, but it mentioned there was limited visibility due to fog. Traffic at the airport, however, was limited at the time.

In an initial tweet Saturday, the National Transportation Safety Board used jargon to downplay the incident describing it as a 'possible runway incursion and overflight involving airplanes from Southwest Airlines and FedEx.'

The incident occurred in poor visibility conditions early on Saturday morning in Austin. 

The FAA said FedEx Express Flight 1432, a Boeing 767 cargo plane, which had departed from Memphis, was cleared to land on Runway 18-Left around 6:40am while the aircraft was several miles from the airport. 

The Southwest plane had not yet departed when the FedEx plane was approaching the runway. 

Southwest has so far declined to comment. FedEx said its flight 'safely landed after encountering an event,' but declined to further comment because of the ongoing investigations. 

'FedEx Express Flight 1432 from Memphis, Tennessee to Austin, Texas safely landed after encountering an event just before landing at Austin Bergstrom International Airport this morning,' FedEx said in a statement, 

Austin Airport said it was 'aware of the Federal Aviation Administration's investigation into the discontinued landing of a flight. We will assist our FAA partners and their investigation as necessary.' 

In addition to the JetBlue and FedEx incidents, anther close call was averted at John F. Kennedy International Airport last month after an American Airlines plane crossed a runway while a Delta Airlines' Boeing 737 plane was preparing for takeoff on January 13.

Air traffic controllers noticed a Boeing 777 had crossed from an adjacent taxiway.

The FAA said the Delta Boeing 737 stopped its takeoff roll approximately 1,000 feet before reaching the point where American Airlines Flight 106 had crossed.

The FedEx cargo plane was coming into land at Austin Bergstrom Airport when it was forced to pull up

At one stage, just 75 feet appeared to separate the two aircraft according to FlightRadar24

The FedEx plane climbed back into the skies away from the Southwest flight carrying 128 passengers, which continued its takeoff toward Cancún.

Data from flight tracking websites suggest the two planes came very close indeed. Pictured, the FedEx cargo plane's route which saw it having to abort landing and then circle the airpor

Jennifer Homendy, the chair of the National Transportation Safety Board, said two planes came within less than 100ft of each other during a near miss in Austin on Saturday

Following the initial almost accident, Jennifer Homendy, the chair of the National Transportation Safety Board, explained just how close the planes were to catastrophe and said investigators are probing how the incident was able to happen.

The Boeing 767 was approaching the runway with poor visibility while a Southwest Boeing 737 was cleared for takeoff.

Homendy told Politico: 'We’re really digging into the communications between [air traffic control], Southwest, FedEx — especially in relation to weather issues.'

She said it was 'fairly clear that the aircraft came within very close proximity of each other and we believe it’s less than 100 feet'.