The United States (US) Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) will investigate the near-miss incident involving an Allegiant Airlines Airbus A320 and a Gulfstream IV, which triggered the Traffic collision avoidance system or TCAS.
According to the FAA, the incident happened on July 23, 2023, when an Allegiant Airlines Airbus A320, registered as N229NV, was instructed to fly eastbound at 23,000 feet (7,010 meters) upon departure from Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (FLL). At the same time, a Gulfstream IV, registered as N86MS and belonging to Jet Edge, was flying 23,000 ft (7,010 m) northbound to its destination, Hilton Head Island Airport (HHH).
According to flightradar24.com, the two jets were “separated 2.59 miles laterally and 1,175 feet vertically”. The FAA said that both the Allegiant Airlines pilot and the pilot of the Gulfstream jet received a TCAS alert, subsequently taking evasive action.
An Allegiant Airlines flight attendant was injured during the incident, as the Airbus A320 climbed at a peak vertical speed of 1,664 feet per minute, according to flightradar24.com data. Consequently, the A320 was forced to return to FLL, where it landed without further incident. The FAA’s Aviation Safety Information Analysis and Sharing (ASIAS) platform said that the aircraft “declared a crew medical emergency”.
The Jet Edge Gulfstream IV also reached HHH without further incident. Both aircraft operated flights the same and following days.
On July 24, 2023, the same Allegiant Air Airbus A320 diverted to Indianapolis International Airport (IND) on flight G4511 from FLL to Cincinnati Northern Kentucky International Airport (CVG). However, the FAA’s ASIAS has no registered incident on the day.
