NTSB investigating plane collision at Houston Hobby Airport runway
HOUSTON - The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the collision that occurred between two planes on the Hobby Airport runway in Houston.
Around 3:20 p.m. on Tuesday, authorities say an air traffic controller instructed a Hawker 850XP airplane to line up and wait on Runway 22 at Hobby Airport.
The NTSB says the Hawker started a takeoff roll on the runway and its wing collided with the tail of a Cessna 510 airplane that landed on Runway 13R. The Hawker plane's pilot continued to take off on Runway 22 before it returned to land.
Officials say there were five passengers on the Cessna and three on the Hawker. None were reported injured.
NTSB officials say a team of six were sent to Houston to begin the investigation of the incident. They are said to arrive on Wednesday and are expected to be on the scene for three to five days.
According to the agency, the investigation will include documentation of the damage to both planes, interviews with pilots, the air traffic control staff, and airport personnel, a reviler of all radio communications between the planes and air traffic controllers, and the arrival and departure procedures at Hobby Airport.
NTSB says a preliminary report will be available within 30 days and will contain factual information gathered during the initial phase of the investigation. A probable cause of the incident along with any contributing factors will be detailed in the final report, which is expected in 12-24 months.