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Blackleaf · Posted: Mon Jan 30, 2006 6:20 pm Post subject: So how near is a near-miss?

So how near is a near-miss?
30th January 2006

Close: Aviation experts say this wasn't a near miss

This is the moment horrified on-lookers thought they were about to witness a mid-air collision.

An airbus A300 operating for transport firm DHL appears to be perilously close to a Japan Airlines Boeing 777, prompting fears they were about to crash.

The dramatic scene was captured by Barry Bland as the planes flew over West Ham's Upton Park ground in East London on Saturday (where West Ham United beat Blackburn Rovers 4-2 in the FA Cup, 4th Round).

"I saw the aircraft coming together," Mr Bland is reported to have said.

"They appeared to be on a collision course. From where I was sitting it looked very close."

Trick of perspective

But thankfully it was merely a trick of perspective. The jets were not flying as closely as feared, and the incident wasn't classed as a near-miss where planes must be within three nautical miles of each other horizontally or 1,000ft vertically.

"Distances from the ground can be extremely deceptive, especially in the kind of weather conditions we had this weekend with clear blue skies and bright sunshine," said a spokesman for National Air Traffic Services.

dailymail.co.uk

Morph · Posted: Tue Jan 31, 2006 12:42 pm Post subject:

You have to admit you would be a bit freaked out if you were a passenger on the Japanese plane.
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Rinty · Posted: Tue Jan 31, 2006 12:46 pm Post subject: Billy Connoly

Billy Connolly pointed out that a "near miss" is a crash otherwise it would be a "miss" or a "near hit"