Pilots of Alaska Airlines Jet Braked to Avoid Possible Collision With Southwest Plane

Alaska Airlines planes are parked at gates with Mount Rainier in the background at sunrise, at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport in Seattle on March 1, 2021. Ted S. Warren/AP Photo

NASHVILLE, Tenn.—An Alaska Airlines jet taking off in Nashville braked to a rapid stop on the runway to avoid a possible collision Thursday with a Southwest Airlines plane, and federal agencies are investigating the incident.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said the Alaska pilots aborted their takeoff because the Southwest plane was cleared to cross the end of the same runway.