NTSB releases new video showing Air Canada flight's close call at SFO
SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- NTSB officials just released new video that shows how close an Air Canada flight got to other jets as it was making a landing at San Francisco International Airport back in July 2017. The plane came within 10 feet of another as pilots prepared to land it at SFO.
A spokesman for SFO says several safety improvements have been since then, when the plane almost entered a busy runway.
RELATED: New video shows Air Canada flight's close call during landing at SFO
The NTSB investigation is still underway but the agency released a large docket of reports -- 33 in all -- that dissect every communication from the air traffic tower to the cockpit of Air Canada flight 759 as it was preparing to land at SFO.
The video from an airport surveillance camera shows the Airbus A-320 as it descended just minutes before midnight last July 7. Even though the plane was cleared to land on runway 28-Right, the plane actually lined up to land on a taxiway, where several planes full of people were waiting to take off.
RELATED: Air Canada flight nearly lands on taxiway at San Francisco International Airport
The new video shows the Air Canada jet's landing lights illuminating the fuselage of one of four aircraft on the taxiway, awaiting clearance to take off.
It appears to be much closer than previous videos of the incident.
Air Canada followed instructions to do a go-around, which means they would abort the landing and climb immediately.
The NTSB took statements from the pilot and first officer of the flight.
RELATED: FAA investigates another questionable Air Canada landing at SFO
Capt. Dimitrios Kisses said, "As they approached the runway, something still felt odd and he elected to go-around."
"The captain asked if he could confirm the runway was clear. He looked up and he expected to see the runway; however, when he looked up he could not understand what he was looking at," First officer Matthew Dampier told the NTSB. "They thought they were at 400 feet when they initiated the go-around. He was shocked at how low they were."
The FAA said in a report that three of the five close-calls involving aircraft reported in the past 16 months at the busy airport were caused by pilots.
In another incident, a plane was mistakenly cleared to land on the wrong runway by a tower controller.
Click here for the full text of the Air Canada pilots' interviews with the NTSB.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
