Only two days after a pair of Delta jets collided in Atlanta, another potential collision incident occurred in the southeast, this time in Nashville, Tennessee. The incident occurred between an Alaska Airlines 737 and a Southwest 737 as the Alaska jet was beginning its takeoff roll.

What Happened?

Alaska Airlines flight 369 was preparing to depart on a routine flight from Nashville to Seattle, and was cleared to takeoff by Nashville Air Traffic Control around 9:15a.m. local time. At or near the same moment, Southwest 2029 was cleared to cross the same runway that Alaska 369 was departing on by ATC, but near the far end of that same runway. 

The Alaska flight recognized the conflict during the roll, and aborted the takeoff at a speed that resulted in the tires of the 737-800 deflating by design, mainly due to the immense heat buildup resulting from a rejected takeoff. The flight then subsequently returned to the gate, and later departed that afternoon on a different 737 for Seattle without incident. Southwest 2029 continued its taxi to a different assigned runway for takeoff, and departed without further incident as well. 

No injuries were reported from Alaska 369 after it aborted the takeoff and returned to the terminal, and the 737 involved in the incident was held in Nashville for mechanics to perform an inspection on the airframe.