This week, during a flight from the United States to the United Kingdom, Air Force One came alarmingly close to a Spirit Airlines aircraft traveling from Fort Lauderdale to Boston. The two planes were separated by just eight lateral miles when an alert air traffic controller at the New York center intervened, instructing the Spirit flight to make an immediate right turn to avert a potential collision.
However, the pilots aboard the Spirit flight were slow to respond, prompting the controller to issue several urgent commands. The controller’s frustration was evident as he repeatedly urged the crew to take action. Audio of the incident, available on LiveATC.net, captures the tense exchanges that unfolded.
“Pay attention!” the controller admonished after failing to receive an initial acknowledgment from the Spirit flight. “Spirit 1300, turn 20 degrees right.”
With still no response, the controller reiterated his direction a few moments later: “Spirit 1300, turn 20 degrees right now.”
Finally responding, the Spirit pilots were met with another sharp reminder from the controller, who reinforced the urgency of the situation with another “Pay attention!”
Providing context for the instructions, the controller informed the pilots, “Spirit 1300, traffic’s off your left wing by 6, uh, 8 miles. 747. I’m sure you can see who it is… Keep an eye out for him. He’s white and blue.”
Shortly after, the controller provided the Spirit flight with the necessary contact information for the Boston-area air traffic control center, which would guide them during their descent and landing.
“Spirit 1300: Boston Center, 134.0,” he communicated, but once again, there was no immediate response from the pilots. Expressing his frustration, the controller remarked, “I gotta talk to you twice every time,” before repeating the contact frequency.
When the Spirit flight finally acknowledged the instruction, the controller seized the moment to add one last comment: “Pay attention! Get off the iPad!”
While it remains unclear whether the Spirit pilots were indeed distracted by an iPad, devices like these have become ubiquitous in aviation. A trade publication highlighted their significance in a 2019 article, stating, “in aviation, iPads are to pilots what cellphones are to drivers.” The publication noted that many pilots now rely on iPads for essential tasks including weather monitoring, flight planning, and navigational mapping, though it also acknowledged the potential drawbacks of such technology when misused.
Fortunately, the Spirit plane landed safely in Boston, concluding a tense encounter in the skies.
