Southwest 737 Involved in Close Call With Challenger Jet

A Southwest Boeing 737 and Flexjet Challenger 350 aircraft were involved in a close call on Tuesday. The incident occurred around 8:50 a.m. local time at Chicago Midway Airport.

According to air traffic control audio recordings, the Flexjet crew was instructed to cross Runway 31L and hold short of 31C. The Southwest 737-800 – operating flight 2504 from Omaha, Nebraska – was already over Runway 31C and had been cleared to land.

Surveillance footage shared on X shows the Challenger crossing Runway 31C directly in front of the landing Southwest aircraft. The Southwest crew opted to go around.

INCIDENT: Southwest #WN2504 (Boeing 737-800 N8517F) in near miss 1448UTC/0848CST today @ Chicago/Midway as FlexJet #LXJ560 (Challenger 350) crosses Runway 31C.

ATC Audio (skip to 18min): https://t.co/e6OValtv39

MDW webcam & links: https://t.co/GzjpoMXwhL

(c) webcam host pic.twitter.com/IHqoie0rt3

— Airport Webcams (@AirportWebcams) February 25, 2025

An FAA spokesperson said the agency will investigate the incident.

“The crew of Southwest Airlines Flight 2504 initiated a go-around when a business jet entered the runway without authorization at Chicago Midway Airport,” the spokesperson shared as part of an email statement.

A Brasher Warning was subsequently issued to the Flexjet crew. The Southwest 737 landed safely several minutes later, and the Flexjet aircraft continued to its destination of Knoxville, Tennessee.

“The crew followed safety procedures and the flight landed without incident,” a Southwest spokesperson told CNN. “Nothing is more important to Southwest than the safety of our customers and employees.”

The National Transportation Safety Board also said Tuesday afternoon that it will investigate.

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Ryan Ewing

Ryan founded AirlineGeeks.com back in February 2013 and has amassed considerable experience in the aviation sector. His work has been featured in several publications and news outlets, including CNN, WJLA, CNET, and Business Insider. During his time in the industry, he's worked in roles pertaining to airport/airline operations while holding a B.S. in Air Transportation Management from Arizona State University along with an MBA. Ryan has experience in several facets of the industry from behind the yoke of a Cessna 172 to interviewing airline industry executives. Ryan works for AirlineGeeks' owner FLYING Media, spearheading coverage in the commercial aviation space.

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