CRISIS In The Skies: JFK Close Call Has Americans Demanding Answers

Liberty Check

• Two aircraft came within 475 feet of each other at JFK Airport—the latest in a disturbing pattern of near-disasters under Biden’s FAA
• Flight safety incidents are skyrocketing as federal regulators fail to maintain standards Americans once took for granted
• Families deserve accountability and transparency as aviation close calls become alarmingly routine

Two planes had a close call while approaching John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York City on Monday, with flight-tracking data reportedly showing they came within roughly 500 feet vertically of each other. The incident came one day after a separate plane struck a light pole and damaged a bakery truck while landing in New Jersey, marking the latest in a string of aviation close calls.

Air traffic control audio shows a controller at JFK alerted the pilot of a Delta flight, operated by its subsidiary Endeavor Air, to a smaller aircraft flying less than 500 feet above them. Data from Flightradar24 shows the planes were separated by about 475 feet vertically as their paths crossed.

The Endeavor aircraft was at about 2,100 feet, while the Cirrus plane was at roughly 2,575 feet. That’s a margin of error no American family should have to accept when boarding a commercial flight.

The Federal Aviation Administration said Endeavor Air Flight 5289 was on final approach to Runway 22L around 5:15 p.m. Monday when a Cirrus SR22 crossed overhead while preparing to land on Runway 22R.

“Air traffic control provided traffic advisories to both pilots, and each reported the other in sight,”

the FAA said.

“The required separation was maintained.”

The Endeavor pilot told controllers the flight crew received a traffic advisory, followed by a resolution advisory from the aircraft’s collision avoidance system. Audio captured the exchange between controllers and the flight crew.

“Endeavor 5289 yeah I’m not talking to him. He’s 500 feet above you now left to right half a mile in front of you,”

a controller said.

“And tower Endeavor 5289 he just flew about 500 feet right over so looks like he’s taking a left turn now,”

the pilot responded.

Monday’s incident is the latest in a series of close calls that have drawn increased scrutiny from federal regulators and lawmakers. The pattern is undeniable, and Americans are right to demand answers about why these near-disasters keep happening on our nation’s busiest runways.

On Sunday, a United Airlines flight traveling from Venice, Italy, to Newark Liberty International Airport struck a light pole and damaged a bakery truck during its descent around 2 p.m. The 221 passengers and 10 crew members aboard were not injured, and the plane landed safely—but the incident raises serious questions about approach protocols and oversight.

JFK also experienced a close call last month when two passenger jets came too close on approach, triggering onboard collision warnings and a federal investigation. In that incident, the FAA said Republic Airways Flight 4464 performed a go-around after missing its approach path and flying too close to Air Canada Express Flight 8554, which had been cleared to land on a parallel runway.

The frequency of these incidents points to systemic issues within our aviation infrastructure. When collision avoidance systems are the last line of defense between safe flights and catastrophe, something has gone seriously wrong with the layers of protection that should exist long before that point.

Air travel was once the gold standard of American safety and efficiency. These repeated close calls suggest that standard is slipping, and families deserve to know why—and what’s being done to restore the margin of safety they’ve come to expect.

Americans deserve better.