NTSB, FAA Investigating Southwest and FedEx Cargo Planes That Almost Collided at Texas Airport

DANIEL SLIM/AFP via Getty Southwest

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) are investigating after an air traffic controller double-booked a runway at the Austin-Bergstrom International Airport this weekend, setting up a potential collision.

Around 6:40 a.m. local time on Saturday, a Boeing 737 operated by Southwest Airlines was due to depart just before a FedEx 767 cargo plane was anticipated to make a landing, the FAA said in a statement obtained by PEOPLE.

According to the FAA, the Boeing 767 cargo airplane was several miles from the airport when it was cleared to land. But right before it was expected to move into the airport, an air traffic controller gave the go-ahead for an airplane operated by Southwest Airlines to take off.

To avert a crisis, the FedEx plane changed course, abandoning its landing on the runway, the FAA said.

"The pilot of the FedEx airplane discontinued the landing and initiated a climb out," the FAA added. "The Southwest flight departed safely."

Urbanandsport/NurPhoto via Getty FedEx

Flight tracking website FlightAware reported that the FedEx plane had descended to an altitude of 150 feet at 6:40 a.m. before it was forced to go back up again quickly. The plane landed at the airport at 6:51 a.m., according to FlightAware.

In a statement to PEOPLE, FedEx said that the FedEx Express flight from Memphis to Austin "safely landed after encountering an event just before landing."

On Twitter, the NTSB wrote that the organization is "investigating a surface event at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport Saturday, a possible runway incursion and overflight involving airplanes from Southwest Airlines and FedEx."

In a statement given to PEOPLE, Austin-Bergstrom International — which is less than eight miles away from downtown Austin — said it is "aware of the Federal Administration's (FAA) investigation into the discontinued landing of a flight arriving at our airport. AUS will support the investigation as needed."

Representatives for Southwest directed PEOPLE to the FAA's statement when asked for comment.