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Planes come within a few hundred feet of each other in terrifying mid-air collision near-miss

Planes come within a few hundred feet of each other in terrifying mid-air collision near-miss

Two planes came within a few hundred feet of colliding with each other when their flight paths mistakenly intersected.

Footage captured the terrifying moment two planes were set on a collision course which would have resulted in a deadly mid-air crash.

The airborne near-miss occurred on 17 August between a Cessna 172 already in the skies above Orlando Airport and a Delta Airlines flight heading down the runway for take off.

Cessna pilot Malik Clarke had been following instructions from air traffic control to head east in the skies above the airport when he saw a Boeing 757 full of passengers heading right for his plane.

Take a look at the breathtaking moment below:

Instantly realising that they were on a collision course, he banked sharply to the right and started climbing to get out of the 757's way.

Fortunately for everyone involved it worked a treat, and although the planes came a buttock-clenching 500 feet from crashing into each other, they successfully turned what could have been a disaster into a near-miss.

Footage of the near-miss posted by Clarke on social media shows all going well inside the Cessna until the approaching 757 is spotted climbing high.

Getting serious with a quick and curt 'shut up', the pilot quickly turned his aircraft away muttering 'no, no, no, no, nope'.

Those inside the Cessna immediately realised the passenger jet taking off was going to crash into them.
@malik_dambah/Twitter

According to ABC News, the quick thinking pilot knew he needed to do something when he looked down and saw the 757 taking off right into the path of his plane.

He said: "We thought it had landed because we thought there's no way air traffic controllers would, you know, put us in a situation like that.

"I knew that this didn't look right so immediately I turned right, and I climbed as deeply as I could because the Boeing 757 from Delta has a much higher climb rate than the aircraft that I was flying."

"If I hadn’t done that evasive manoeuvre, it’s quite likely there would have been a mid-air collision."

It can be terrifying to think how close so many planes come to colliding with each other in the skies and the delicate dance they all perform to land and take off without major incidents.

The Boeing 757 full of passengers passed close beneath the Cessna.
@malik_dambah/Twitter

Earlier this year, incredible audio from the moment at Paris airport where a pilot and air traffic controller were able to avert disaster right before a landing was released.

The Boeing 777 had been cleared to land and was making a final descent when an alarm sounded at 1,500 feet, luckily by working together a disaster was avoided and the plane was able to safely touch down back on solid ground.

It's all part of the day job, as is instructing a passenger aboard a plane how to land it when the pilot has become too ill to fly.

Back in May a Cessna plane safely returned to earth after an air traffic controller helped a passenger with 'no idea how to fly' successfully land the plane.

UNILAD has contacted Orlando International Airport for comment.

If you have a story you want to tell, send it to UNILAD via [email protected]  

Featured Image Credit: @malik_dambah/Twitter

Topics: US News, News