Originally Posted by TonyWilliams

Near miss on Fresno runway probed
The Associated Press

Saturday, August 30, 2008

FRESNO, Calif. -- Federal officials launched an investigation into the near collision of two aircrafts that missed each other by just 15 feet at Fresno Yosemite International airport.

On Thursday, a tower controller cleared a SkyWest Canadair CRJ2 commuter jet for landing shortly after 9 p.m. before a Piper PA-46 general aviation aircraft had left the runway, according to the National Transportation Safety Board.

The commuter jet pilot saw the Piper and veered to the right side of the runway, narrowly avoiding the Piper.
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Such close calls are "very rare," according to NTSB spokesman Peter Knudsen. Most of the time, they are due to error on the part of the pilot, the air traffic controller or both, he said.

"It's usually a human element," he said.