Connect with us

News from the South - North Carolina News Feed

Passenger jet, small plane nearly collided mid-air at Asheville airport last fall, federal report says • Asheville Watchdog

Published

on

avlwatchdog.org – SALLY KESTIN – 2025-02-03 16:05:00

A passenger jet on its initial approach to the Asheville Regional Airport in October came within seconds of colliding midair with a private plane in a harrowing incident described by the jet’s captain in federal data obtained by Asheville Watchdog.

The private plane was “so close that I could see the occupant in the aircraft,” the jet’s captain reported. “It was approaching almost directly perpendicular to us.”

Shem Malmquist, a Boeing 777 captain and consultant on aviation safety, told The Watchdog the planes likely narrowly averted disaster. “If you’re close enough to see the occupants, that’s really close,” he said. 

The account in the Aviation Safety Reporting System, a database maintained by NASA to identify aviation issues, does not include any identifying information such as the names of the airline or pilots, the flight number or departing city, the number of passengers, or the day of the month. The event was described as an “NMAC,” near midair collision and occurred sometime between noon and 6 p.m.

The collision last week between an American Airlines jet and an Army Black Hawk helicopter was one of the nation’s deadliest in recent history, killing 67 passengers and crew members, and occurred in the crowded, busy airspace of the U.S. capital. But close calls happen at much smaller airports, including Asheville.

The captain in the October near-miss reported that the airport’s air traffic control tower had informed the flight crew about “traffic.”

“I responded that we were looking,” the captain said. “We were unable to get a visual on the traffic however.”

A few minutes later, “Tower came back and she said it was less than a mile do we have it in sight [sic]. I only responded with no, as we were trying to find the traffic and Tower responded immediately to cancel approach clearance and to climb to 6000.”

Advisory issued when aircraft are 15-35 seconds from colliding

During the ascent, the airliner’s collision avoidance system issued a “resolution advisory” or RA, an urgent warning when two aircraft are 15 to 35 seconds from colliding without a change in course. The advisory instructed the crew to descend.

As the jet leveled off and began the descent, the captain looked out the first officer’s window and spotted the small, single-engine plane and its pilot, within eyesight, perpendicular to the airliner.

“It was slightly lower than us and also descending,” the captain reported. “I saw that our guidance was to continue to descend but using my own judgment of what I’m looking at visually I chose to say to the FO [first officer], no climb instead he’s below us [sic].”

As the jet ascended, the RA switched from descend to climb.

“We complied with the climbing RA guidance and safely maneuvered the aircraft away,”  the captain reported. “It was a difficult decision to change the aircraft path by starting a climb when the RA wanted us to descend. Especially because it is supposed to resolve the conflict. But after making visual contact with the aircraft I knew we needed to climb away from it.”

The Aviation Safety Reporting System, a database maintained by NASA to identify aviation issues, contains this account of a near-miss between a small plane and a passenger jet on approach to Asheville Regional Airport last October.

A synopsis of the event said the private plane “was crossing the [airliner’s] final approach course and not in communication with ATC [Air Traffic Control]. Captain took evasive action to avoid a collision.”

Tina Kinsey, a spokeswoman for the Asheville Airport, referred questions from The Watchdog to the Federal Aviation Administration.

The FAA did not respond by deadline to questions, including whether the event was investigated and how close the planes came to a collision.  

Malmquist said resolution advisories are “really rare.” 

Airliners are equipped with airborne collision avoidance systems that serve as a “last resort” for preventing midair collisions by instructing pilots to perform evasive maneuvers, according to the FAA.

“It’ll first give you just a target advisory,” said Malmquist, a graduate lecturer at the Florida Institute of Technology in Melbourne, Fla. “It’ll just say, ‘Traffic, traffic,’ and then just address your attention, be paying attention. And that’s already getting pretty close before it does that.

“And then, if it’s predicting collision,” he said, “it will command an immediate response, and response to that we’re trained is mandatory.”

Malmquist, an airline pilot since the 1980s, said he could recall receiving just one RA in all his flights.

“I mostly fly International,” he said. “I would expect airplanes that are flying domestically encounter it more often.”

He said the FAA may have investigated the incident if the private plane “was in the wrong spot.”

Close calls involving commercial airlines have been on the rise and are alarmingly common, occurring multiple times a week, often at or near major airports, a New York Times investigation found.

Frontline aviation workers, including pilots, air traffic controllers, mechanics and flight attendants, are encouraged to report incidents, including near-misses, to the NASA reporting database. The information is used for analysis and safety prevention and is scrubbed of identifying details before being made public. 

Four other near-misses have been reported around the Asheville airport since 2003, three involving private planes in close proximity to each other. In the fourth, the pilot of a commercial airliner landing at the airport in January 2023 reported “a drone about 100 ft. below us.”

“We alerted tower about the drone and subsequently had an uneventful landing,” the pilot reported. “The drone appeared to be a personal quadcopter that was not of commercial nature.”


Asheville Watchdog is a nonprofit news team producing stories that matter to Asheville and Buncombe County. Sally Kestin is a Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative reporter. Email skestin@avlwatchdog.org. The Watchdog’s reporting is made possible by donations from the community. To show your support for this vital public service go to avlwatchdog.org/support-our-publication/.

Original article

The post Passenger jet, small plane nearly collided mid-air at Asheville airport last fall, federal report says • Asheville Watchdog appeared first on avlwatchdog.org

The Watchdog

News from the South - North Carolina News Feed

Is nail gel actually harmful? It's complicated

Published

on

www.youtube.com – WRAL – 2025-09-12 23:25:29


SUMMARY: Gel nail polishes were recently banned in the EU due to the chemical TPO, which helps the gel harden under UV light. Concerns stem from studies showing potential reproductive risks in rats fed TPO, but humans aren’t exposed this way. The margin of exposure calculated for TPO is very high (1,515), suggesting it’s safe for people. More significant risks come from UV light used to cure nails, which may contribute to skin cancer over time. To stay safe, consider applying sunscreen before your salon visit and discuss toxin-free polish options with your aesthetician. Ultimately, balanced caution is key.

Certain gel nail polishes are no longer widespread in Europe as a chemical was banned due to potential health risks with long-term exposure. But a closer look at the study prompts some questions.

Source

Continue Reading

News from the South - North Carolina News Feed

What we know about Charlie Kirk shooting suspect, how he was caught

Published

on

www.youtube.com – ABC11 – 2025-09-12 11:29:29


SUMMARY: Tyler Robinson, 22, from Utah, is in custody as the suspect in the shooting death of conservative activist Charlie Kirk at Utah Valley University. Robinson’s father identified him and convinced him to surrender after family members reported his possible involvement and negative comments about Kirk. Authorities believe Robinson acted alone. Investigators linked Robinson to the crime through Facebook posts and messages retrieved with help from his roommate. Robinson was arrested after fleeing the scene post-shooting. A rifle was found nearby. Charges are expected within three days. Officials praised coordination among police and government agencies in the swift arrest.

Authorities have taken into custody the person they suspect of shooting and killing conservative activist Charlie Kirk on …

Source

Continue Reading

News from the South - North Carolina News Feed

Federal hate crime charge sought in Charlotte stabbing | North Carolina

Published

on

www.thecentersquare.com – By Alan Wooten | The Center Square – (The Center Square – ) 2025-09-11 08:05:00


Decarlos Brown Jr. faces federal and state charges for the August 22 killing of Iryna Zarutska on a Charlotte light rail. The North Carolina chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) has urged federal prosecutors to classify the murder as a hate crime, citing video footage allegedly showing Brown making racist remarks. Brown, arrested 15 times previously, is charged with first-degree murder and a federal charge related to mass transportation. The case has sparked viral attention, legislative proposals, and a state audit of transit safety. CAIR condemns the murder and warns against using the crime to promote racial bias.

(The Center Square) – When a federal charge was levied this week against Decarlos Brown Jr. in the killing of Iryna Zarutska on a Charlotte light rail, authorities said more charges were possible.

North Carolina’s chapter of the largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization in the nation has formally requested federal prosecutors charge Brown with a hate crime.

“We join calls for the U.S. attorney to investigate the murder of Iryna Zarutska as a possible hate crime given video footage that appears to show the perpetrator commenting on her race and gender after brutally attacking her,” the North Carolina chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations said in a statement. “Whenever someone commits similar acts of violence while engaging in racist or bigoted rhetoric, law enforcement should automatically investigate a bias motive.”

Zarutska, 23, was killed while aboard the Lynx Blue Line light rail train about 10 p.m. Aug. 22 alongside Camden Road near the East/West station, according to the Charlotte Area Transit System video. Brown, arrested a 15th time in as many years, is charged with first-degree murder on the state level and charged on the federal level with committing an act causing death on a mass transportation system.

While in the local news immediately, the story went viral over the weekend and into this week when Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police released video from the transit system. Congressional proposals are in the works; state Republicans in the U.S. House have requested the chief judge in the district remove the magistrate signing off on cashless bail for Brown in January; and a probe of safety and budget for the transit system is underway by the state auditor.

CAIR-North Carolina said, “Video footage from the incident reportedly shows the alleged attacker, Decarlos Dejuan Brown Jr., pacing through the train and twice saying, ‘I got that white girl.’”

The Center Square has not confirmed the comments. Video released by Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police is from cameras aboard the Charlotte Area Transit System light rail train.

General Assembly leaders planned a noon press conference connected to the stabbing.

CAIR-North Carolina said, “As we condemn Ms. Zarutska’s horrific murder and call for a hate crime probe, we also condemn those using this crime to resurrect racist talking points about the Black community. This selective outrage is dangerous, hypocritical, and racially motivated, especially given that white supremacists fall silent about other stabbings, mass shootings, hate crimes, financial crimes, rapes, and various other misconduct committed by people of all races and backgrounds. Our society must secure justice for victims of crimes, not turn them into pawns for extremists.”

The post Federal hate crime charge sought in Charlotte stabbing | North Carolina appeared first on www.thecentersquare.com



Note: The following A.I. based commentary is not part of the original article, reproduced above, but is offered in the hopes that it will promote greater media literacy and critical thinking, by making any potential bias more visible to the reader –Staff Editor.

Political Bias Rating: Centrist

The article presents a factual overview of the incident and related responses without adopting or promoting a distinct ideological stance. It reports on the victim’s killing, the ongoing legal actions, and the call from the North Carolina chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) for hate crime charges. The article quotes CAIR’s statements, which include both a call for investigation and a critique of racial double standards, but it does so without endorsing or challenging these views. It also mentions political actions from state Republicans and other official responses, maintaining a neutral tone throughout. The language is primarily descriptive, focusing on reporting events and stated positions rather than framing them in a way that suggests bias. Thus, the content adheres to neutral, factual reporting rather than expressing an ideological perspective.

Continue Reading

Trending