FAA probes close call of Spirit jet, small plane

Source: AP-Excite

By DAVID N. GOODMAN

DETROIT (AP) - The Federal Aviation Administration said Monday it is investigating a close call between a Texas-bound Spirit Airlines flight and a skydiving plane that forced the jetliner to dive sharply over Michigan, as screaming passengers feared the plane was going to crash.

Flight attendants bumped their heads and luggage spilled out of overhead binds during the incident Sunday evening.

The Airbus 319 jetliner took off from Detroit Metropolitan Airport with 126 passengers and a crew of five, bound for Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport. It was over Tecumseh in southeastern Michigan about 8:22 p.m. when controllers reported another plane nearby, the FAA said.

"Air traffic controllers notified the Spirit pilot that a skydiving jump plane was climbing just south of the jetliner's position," FAA spokeswoman Elizabeth Cory said in an email. "The Spirit pilot confirmed that he could see the smaller aircraft on his Terminal Collision Avoidance System. ... A minute later, the Spirit jet received an automated TCAS warning that required him to begin an immediate 1,600-foot descent to 12,800 feet from a previous altitude of 14,400 feet."

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This photo provided by the family shows, from left, Jolene, Janet and Gabrielle Dunnabeck at their home in Whitney, Texas on Monday, July 1, 2013. The Federal Aviation Administration said Monday it is investigating a close call between a Texas-bound Spirit Airlines flight they were aboard and a skydiving plane that forced the jetliner to dive sharply over Michigan on Sunday evening. "It was horrifying," Janet Dunnabeck said. "Every person on that plane was screaming. We thought we were going down." She added the plunge caused overhead luggage bins to spill open, drinks to spill and flight attendants to bump their heads. (AP Photo)