FAA investigating close call between 2 Southwest planes in Nashville

The Federal Aviation Administration said it is investigating a close call between two Southwest Airlines jets that passed within 500 vertical feet of each other in Nashville on April 18.

Arriving from Myrtle Beach International Airport, Flight 507 was preparing to land in the Tennessee city at around 5:30 p.m. "The crew of Southwest Airlines Flight 507 initiated a go-around at Nashville International Airport and then received instructions from air traffic control that put the flight in the path of another airplane that was departing from a parallel runway," the FAA told USA TODAY in a statement.

Flight 507 was encountering "gusty winds" during the approach and the pilots were making a precautionary go-around, Southwest Airlines told USA TODAY in a statement.

The other aircraft, Southwest Flight 1152, had just departed from another runway for its journey to McGhee Tyson Airport in Knoxville, Tennessee, according to FlightAware.

Flight tracker data shows Flight 507 starting to turn right and crossing into Flight 1152's path. The two planes passed over each other with 500 vertical feet between them, according to a post on X by FlightRadar24.

"Southwest appreciates the professionalism of its pilots and flight crews in responding to the event," said the airline. "Nothing is more important to Southwest than the safety of our customers and employees."

The FAA said both flight crews were alerted by their traffic collision avoidance systems, which go off to warn pilots about a possible impact. Flight 507 landed safely, and Flight 1152 continued on its way, Southwest added. No injuries were reported.

The incident comes after a United Airlines plane had a close call of 525 vertical feet with an Army Black Hawk helicopter near Santa Ana, California, last month. Air traffic controllers advised the commercial aircraft to watch for the military helicopter, which was returning after a training mission. And the California National Guard said the Black Hawk was also in communication with air traffic control.

The FAA said it is investigating the event to see if it violated a new rule passed after the deadly collision between an American Airlines jet and Black Hawk helicopter in 2025. The measure requires air traffic control to use radars to separate airplanes and helicopters to improve safety instead of relying on pilots to use visual separation.