Close calls

Southwest says it's helping investigate close call - Yahoo! Finance: "The NTSB said in a preliminary report that air traffic controllers cleared a Learjet for takeoff on Midway's runway 31R and told the Southwest pilot to cross the same runway before contacting ground control.
The Southwest co-pilot saw the Learjet taking off and yelled to the captain to stop, according to the NTSB. The pilot stopped the plane before it reached the runway's edge."

"Air traffic control did not cancel the takeoff clearance of the (Learjet) nor direct the (Southwest plane) to hold short of runway 31R," the safety board said.

The NTSB said that the Southwest pilot claimed that the Learjet flew over his plane. The board said the planes were 287 feet apart as the Learjet passed 62 feet overhead.

Dallas-based Southwest Airlines Co. said there 74 passengers and five crew members on the flight from Minneapolis. The safety board said none were injured. The operator of the Learjet was not identified.