CHICAGO (AP) — On Tuesday morning, pilots of a Southwest Airlines flight making an approach to land at Chicago’s Midway Airport had to quickly ascend to avoid a nearby aircraft crossing the runway.

Footage from an airport webcam shared on X captures the Southwest plane approaching the runway just before 9 a.m. when its nose suddenly lifts up. A smaller jet can be seen traversing the runway designated for the larger passenger plane.

According to an airline representative via email, Southwest Flight 2504 successfully landed after the crew executed a precautionary go-around to prevent a possible collision with another plane that had entered the runway. They followed established safety protocols, resulting in a safe landing.

An audio recording of communications between the smaller jet and air traffic control reveals that the pilot misinterpreted instructions from a ground tower employee. The employee had repeated the directive for the pilot to “hold short” of the runway. Approximately 30 seconds later, the ground controller reiterated the command, instructing the pilot to “hold your position there.”

The ground tower staff is then heard instructing: “FlexJet560, your instructions were to hold short of runway 31 center.”

In a separate recording, the Southwest crew communicated with another ground controller, confirming they were “Southwest 2504 going around” and received orders to ascend to 3,000 feet. Shortly thereafter, the pilot inquired, “Southwest 2504, how’d that happen?”

The second aircraft, identified as a business jet, had reportedly entered the runway without permission, as noted by the Federal Aviation Administration.

Flexjet, the owner of the business jet, confirmed awareness of the incident in Chicago. A spokesperson stated, “Flexjet adheres to the highest safety standards, and we are conducting a comprehensive investigation. Any necessary measures to uphold our safety protocols will be implemented.”

Both the FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board are actively investigating the occurrence.

Flight 2504 was traveling to Midway Airport from Omaha, Nebraska, as reported by FlightAware.

Audio from air traffic control clearly indicates that the business jet did not comply with instructions to avoid crossing the runway, according to Jeff Guzzetti, a former member of the NTSB and FAA investigator.

Guzzetti described the incident as a “very serious runway incursion,” but emphasized that the overall trend shows improvement, noting that the previous year recorded the fewest serious incursions in a decade.

There were 22 serious events reported in 2023, with only seven incidents noted in 2024, based on FAA statistics.

Guzzetti pointed out that numerous factors can contribute to such incidents, asking, “Was the crew distracted? Was the controller overwhelmed?”

Former NTSB member John Goglia remarked that the incident illustrates “the system functioned as intended,” as the Southwest pilot was responsive to the potential risk posed by the other aircraft.

In their investigation, officials will likely examine staffing levels at the control tower and the clarity of the instructions provided, he added.

“Such occurrences do happen,” he noted, as miscommunication can lead to scenarios where a pilot mishears directions.

Recent weeks have seen four significant aviation incidents in North America, including a commuter plane crash in Alaska on February 6 that claimed the lives of all ten individuals on board and a midair collision on January 26 between an Army helicopter and an American Airlines flight near Washington’s Ronald Reagan National Airport, resulting in 67 fatalities.

A medical transport jet carrying a child patient, her mother, and four other people tragically crashed into a Philadelphia neighborhood on January 31, killing seven, including all aboard, and injuring 19 others.

Twenty-one individuals were also injured on February 17 when a Delta flight overturned and landed upside down at Toronto’s Pearson Airport.

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Williams reported from Detroit, with contributions from Associated Press writer Jennifer Sinco Kelleher in Honolulu.