Investigation shows sunlight as potential factor in Chicago Midway close call

The National Transportation Safety Board’s (NTSB) initial findings suggest that sun glare might have played a role in the recent close call at Chicago Midway International Airport involving a Southwest Airlines plane.

A Southwest Airlines flight had to execute a go-around procedure as it was approaching to land when a smaller Flexjet aircraft unexpectedly crossed its path on the runway on February 25. The incident was captured on video.

The preliminary report from the NTSB indicated that the flight crew on the Flexjet plane received instructions from ground control to “make a left turn onto runway 04L, cross over runway 31L, and then stop before reaching runway 31C,” where the Southwest plane was in the process of landing.

“According to post-incident statements, the flight crew of LXJ560 indicated that as they turned left onto runway 4L/22R, the sun was impeding visibility from the right side of the aircraft” — the direction in which the Southwest jet was heading towards them, the report said. 

A diagram showing the travel paths of the Flexjet aircraft, in blue, and the Southwest Airlines plane, in orange, on Feb. 25 at Chicago Midway International Airport. (NTSB)

Following the incident, the captain of the Flexjet aircraft parked the plane and “subsequently contacted the operator to notify them of the possible pilot deviation, assessed their wellbeing to continue the flight, and subsequently departed about 25 minutes after the runway incursion,” the NTSB added, 

Southwest Flight 2504 from Omaha, Nebraska, ultimately landed safely, having performed the precautionary maneuver to avoid “a possible conflict” with the Flexjet aircraft, Southwest said in a statement to Fox News at the time of the incident. 

“The crew followed safety procedures and the flight landed without incident,” a Southwest spokesperson told Fox News in a statement. “Nothing is more important to Southwest than the safety of our customers and employees.” 

The NTSB’s preliminary report suggested that sun glare might have been a contributing factor in the Feb. 25 incident in Chicago. (NTSB)

“We are aware of the occurrence… in Chicago,” added a Flexjet spokesperson in a statement. “Flexjet adheres to the highest safety standards and we are conducting a thorough investigation. Any action to rectify and ensure the highest safety standards will be taken.” 

Fox News Digital’s Stephen Sorace and Greg Wehner contributed to this report.