Cleveland, OH
NTSB investigating close-call incident near Cleveland Hopkins Airport
CLEVELAND, Ohio (WOIO) – The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is investigating a close-call incident near the Cleveland Hopkins International Airport.
According to a social media post on Saturday, NTSB is sending a team to investigate a “loss of separation event” between an inbound Southwest Airlines Boeing 737 and a Eurocopter helicopter.
NTSB is sending a team to investigate a loss of separation event between an inbound Southwest Airlines Boeing 737 and a Eurocopter helicopter that occurred on Oct. 29 near the Cleveland Hopkins International Airport in Ohio.
— NTSB Newsroom (@NTSB_Newsroom) November 1, 2025
A loss of separation occurs when two aircraft come closer together than the minimum safe distance.
The close call event occurred on Oct. 29.
The Federal Aviation Administration posted on social media on Friday, ensuring safety amid shutdown-related staffing shortages.
Nearly 13,000 air traffic controllers have been working without pay for weeks, ensuring the safety of more than 50,000 daily operations across the national airspace system (NAS).
As we head into this weekend, a surge in callouts is straining staffing levels at multiple…
— The FAA ✈️ (@FAANews) November 1, 2025
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19 News has reached out to the Cleveland Hopkins International Airport, which shared the following statement:
19 News reached out to Southwest Airlines, which shared the following statement:
19 News confirmed that the helicopter involved was a medical helicopter en route to St. John Medical Center in Westlake.
Below is a statement from Metro Aviation provided by a spokesperson from MetroHealth Medical Center:
According to the spokesperson, the aircraft traveled from the base at the Wayne County Airport to St. John’s, and there were no patients on board at the time.
19 News also reached out to NTSB for more details.
This is a developing story. Return to 19 News for updates.
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