An Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 plane nearly collided with a FedEx Boeing 777 at Newark Liberty Airport in New Jersey on Tuesday, according to the National Transportation Safety Board.

The Alaska plane “overflew” the FedEx aircraft while both jets were attempting to land on crossing runways, the NTSB said in a statement Thursday announcing it had opened an investigation into the “close-call” incident.

Both planes landed safely.

The Federal Aviation Administration said an air traffic controller had instructed the Alaska Airlines’ crew to perform a “go-around” because the FedEx flight was cleared for final approach to an intersecting runway.

Go-arounds are not uncommon and occur for many reasons, including if the runway is occupied by another plane or if the aircraft isn’t properly aligned with the runway. During a go-around, the flight crew abandons its landing attempt, usually climbing to a higher altitude and following a different flight path until air traffic control directs the crew to attempt landing again.

In a statement Thursday, Alaska Airlines said Flight 294 was cleared to land at the Newark airport.

“Air traffic control issued a go-around to our aircraft, which our pilots are highly trained for,” Alaska’s statement continued. “We’re aware the FAA and NTSB are investigating, and any further information would come from those agencies.”

FedEx said in its own statement that “following instructions from air traffic control, the flight crew of FedEx flight 721 landed safely without incident.”

The Alaska flight was arriving in New Jersey from Portland. The FedEx plane was arriving from Memphis, Tenn. The incident occurred around 8:15 p.m. Eastern time.

Near collisions like this have raised serious public alarm as the nation’s air traffic system strains under record numbers of flights and a shortage of air traffic controllers. The FAA pledged in 2023 to address the issue, including by investing in new runway infrastructure and hiring more people to staff air traffic control towers.

Since then, the number of “runway incursions,” as the FAA calls any incident involving the “incorrect presence” of an aircraft, vehicle or person on a runway, has dropped from 33 per 1 million takeoffs and landings in 2023, to 30 per 1 million takeoffs and landings in 2024 and 2025.

Concern about overcrowded airspace ramped up significantly after an American Airlines passenger plane collided with a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter near Ronald Reagan National Airport in Washington, D.C., in January 2025, killing 67 people.

The incident between the Alaska Airlines plane and FedEx jet on Tuesday comes amid a partial government shutdown. Air traffic controllers are still getting paid, but Transportation Security Administration agents are not, causing some staffing shortages and long wait times at airports.

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