Austin, TX

Cessna, American Airlines 737 have mid-air close call; FAA investigating

Published

1 year ago

October 18, 2024

Cessna, American Airlines 737 have mid-air close call; FAA investigating

The FAA is now investigating a previously unreported close call over the skies of Austin, Texas. An American Airlines 737 and a Cessna 182 came within approximately 350 feet of each other near the Austin airport Wednesday morning.

“Did you ever see him the second time around?” an air traffic controller can be heard asking the pilots of American Flight 2587 on air traffic control audio.

One of the pilots answered, “We saw him when he flashed us and flew right into us.”

The American flight was on approach from Chicago to land with 122 passengers and 6 crew on board when the two planes nearly crossed paths around 10:45 am local time. Flightradar24.com preliminary data puts the American flight about 350 feet above the Cessna 182 with them separated by less than 800 feet horizontally.

“If you want to declare a near miss let us know,” the controller told the pilots.

The FAA tells CBS News the Cessna “unexpectedly entered the flight path of American Airlines Flight 2587” prompting an alert in the Boeing cockpit and the pilots to take evasive action.

According to air traffic control audio posted by liveatc.net, the pilots of the American flight said they were responding to an “RA” or Resolution Advisory signal from the plane’s Traffic Collision Avoidance System known as TCAS. A TCAS warning is among the last lines of defense to avoid a mid-air collision. Pilots are encouraged to respond to an RA within five seconds.

The FAA says when the American pilots responded to that TCAS advisory they turned towards a third plane, a small private jet, resulting in a loss of separation between those two. That prompted air traffic controllers to urgently direct that plane to change course: “6-pappa golf turn right 0-3-0 immediately,” and about 15 seconds later, “papa-golf traffic to your right, an American 737 do you have him in sight?”

American Flight 2587 landed safely a few minutes later. “American Airlines flight 2587 landed safely at AUS after completing a go-around,” said a spokesperson for the airline. “We thank our crew members for their professionalism and expertise and for always prioritizing safety above all else.”

Pilots could be heard on ATC audio discussing foggy conditions shortly before the close call.

The FAA says all three planes ultimately landed safely.

This comes just days after air traffic controllers in San Diego cleared a Southwest flight to cross a runway another Southwest flight was using to take off, putting the planes on a potential collision course before controllers ordered both planes to stop.

Tuesday the FAA announced an audit of runway incursion risk at the nation’s 45 busiest airports. The audit aims to identify any gaps in procedures, equipment and process. It will include a risk profile for each airport and recommendations to improve safety.

“While overall runway incursions are significantly down, even one incident is one too many,” the FAA said in a statement.

Wednesday was not the only close call in Austin.

Last February, a FedEx 767 was cleared to land while a Southwest 737 was still on the runway at the Austin airport in foggy conditions. The National Transportation Safety Board said the two planes came within 150-170 feet of each other before the FedEx first officer Robert Bradeen spotted the other plane.

“I saw a light that turned out to be the position light on the Southwest airplane and quickly saw the silhouette following that and called for a go around,” Bradeen told CBS News in his first interview with a broadcast television network last month. “There’s a moment of disbelief. ‘Am I really seeing this? Is this really an airplane right there?’ And then training and experience kick in.”

FedEx Captain Hugo Carvajal was at the controls of that Boeing 767 and immediately began to climb to avoid a potential collision.

“Without two people in this cockpit on our day it was an aircraft accident,” Carvajal said, adding both pilots were concerned when the controller cleared the Southwest flight while they were on final approach. “As soon as the tower cleared them to takeoff, we knew that there was an issue because we were, we were about three miles, which is too close at that point.”

The NTSB found the probable cause of this incident was “the local controller’s incorrect assumption that the Southwest Airlines airplane would depart from the runway before the Federal Express airplane arrived on the same runway, which resulted in a loss of separation between both airplanes.”

Kris Van Cleave

Emmy Award-winning journalist Kris Van Cleave is the senior transportation correspondent for CBS News based in Phoenix, Arizona, where he also serves as a national correspondent reporting for all CBS News broadcasts and platforms.

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Austin, TX

Austin activists hold anti-ICE protests following the death of Renee Good in Minneapolis

Published

11 hours ago

January 9, 2026

Press Room

Austin activists hold anti-ICE protests following the death of Renee Good in Minneapolis

Chants of “shame” and “ICE out of Texas” rang through the street as Austin-area activists joined thousands across the nation in protesting the killing of Renee Nicole Good, who was fatally shot Wednesday by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer in Minneapolis.

The protest was held in front of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security building in Pflugerville.

Good, 37, was shot in her SUV while attempting to drive away from several ICE officers who ordered her to exit her vehicle.

Scarleth Lopez with the Party for Socialism and Liberation, the organization that led the protest, said the videos of the shooting in Minneapolis were “sickening.”

“Trump has lied and and said that Renee was a terrorist. She was a mother. She was an innocent bystander,” Lopez said. “We must organize to stop these people from kidnapping and murdering.”

Lorianne Willett

KUT News

Spray painted messages appeared outside of a U.S. Department of Homeland Security building in Pflugerville

Elizabeth Bope, a retired Pflugerville ISD teacher, said the claims from federal and state lawmakers that Good was attempting to strike the ICE agent with her vehicle inspired her to attend the protest.

Such claims were posted online by Vice President J.D. Vance and Texas Sen. Ted Cruz. Attorney General Ken Paxton reposted a statement from DHS on X, formerly known as Twitter, that said the ICE agent “relied on his training and saved his own life.”

“It’s beyond really any words that they killed this woman for no reason, but also that they’re lying about it,” Bope said. “I’m not even a radical left person, I’m just a regular old Democrat.”

Other key Texas leaders, including Gov. Greg Abbott and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, have not commented on the shooting.

A group of protesters holding yellow signs reading "ICE Out of our Communities" gather during a night time protest. — Protesters gathered and held signs during a protest against ICE.

Doug Tickner, who said he works for a home building company in Austin, said he felt it was important to show up in person for Good.

“I don’t really think of Minneapolis as being that far from here, and it’s not like what happened in Minneapolis was some sort of one off unique event,” Tickner said. “This is part of a pattern, and I feel folks better wake up and realize that this is becoming more and more serious.”

The news that federal immigration officers shot and wounded two people in Portland, Oregon, broke hours before the protest.

The gathering in Pflugerville is among the first of four anti-ICE demonstrations planned across the Austin area over the next few days.

Earlier on Thursday, protesters gathered at the intersection of 45th Street and Lamar Boulevard during rush hour. A protest on Friday will be held at the Capitol and another will be held Saturday at City Hall.

Protesters bang on the outside of a building built of metal. — Protesters bang on the outside of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security building in Pflugerville.

State and federal leaders are now sparring over who should conduct an investigation into the Minneapolis shooting, according to NPR.

Minnesota’s Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, which was originally asked to conduct a joint investigation with the FBI, said in a statement it was later told the investigation would be led solely by federal authorities.

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Austin, TX

Flesh-eating screwworm may be moving closer to Texas on its own, ag commissioner says

Published

23 hours ago

January 8, 2026

Press Room

Flesh-eating screwworm may be moving closer to Texas on its own, ag commissioner says

article

AUSTIN, Texas – A Texas agency is concerned that the flesh-eating New World screwworm could be getting closer to Texas without commercial livestock movement.

Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller is sounding the alarm again for livestock owners to remain vigilant in watching for signs of the parasite in their animals.

Screwworm sighting near Texas

The latest:

Miller said in a Thursday release that a screwworm had been detected in a cow in González, Tamaulipas, a little more than 200 miles from the southern Texas border.

According to the commissioner, the cow had no reported history of movement outside Tamaulipas, and is the third active case reported there.

Officials in Mexico have not reported a known population of the worm in Tamaulipas. They’re working with U.S. authorities to investigate further into the new case.

What they’re saying:

“The screwworm now may be moving closer on its own, with no apparent link to commercial animal movement,” Commissioner Miller said. “Texas producers must act now—stay informed, stay vigilant, and prepare immediately. We cannot drop our guard for even a moment.”

Inspect livestock for screwworm

What you can do:

Miller urged immediate action from ranchers along the Texas border.

“Inspect your animals daily,” Miller said. “Check every open wound. If anything looks suspicious, report it right away. Better a false alarm than a delayed response—early detection and rapid reporting are our strongest defenses against this devastating pest.”

U.S. plan to fight screwworm in Texas

Big picture view:

The threat to cattle has been deemed so potentially devastating to the U.S. food supply that the federal government is committing $850 million to fight it.

Most of that money will be spent on building a sterile male fly production facility near the border.

The facility will produce 300 million sterile male flies a week to be dropped into target areas where the screwworm is now. Those male flies help to reduce the population size through mating without reproducing.

A much smaller portion of the funding will be used for screwworm detection technology.

In addition, the federal government has already spent $21 million on a sterile fly production facility in Mexico.

What are New World screwworms?

Dig deeper:

The insect gets its name because it’s only found in the Americas.

It lays its eggs in the open wounds of animals, and its larvae become parasites, threatening livestock, domestic animals, and even people.

The screwworm was mostly eradicated in Texas and the rest of the United States in the 60s. But now, it’s moving north up from Panama and has a known presence a little over 300 miles south of the Texas-Mexico border.

The Source: Information in this article comes from Sid Miller.

Texas

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Austin, TX

LD Systems expands Texas Footprint with Austin Location and welcomes ILIOS Productions — TPi

Published

1 day ago

January 8, 2026

Press Room

LD Systems expands Texas Footprint with Austin Location and welcomes ILIOS Productions — TPi

For over two decades, ILIOS Productions has been a key part of the live events community in Austin, TX, transforming spaces and audience experiences with a vast range of lighting and video design, as well as event production services across a diverse client portfolio. Now, with the backing of parent company Clair Global, LD Systems, a Houston-based premier provider of audio, video, and lighting for event production and installed technology solutions, is welcoming ILIOS Productions to the team, marking the group’s fourth location in Texas. ILIOS Productions will now operate under the LD Systems brand.

LD Systems will further resource ILIOS’ existing Austin operation to include additional services such as audio and rigging for live events, as well as integration solutions and services. This addition helps round out LD Systems’ ability to locally serve major metropolitan areas across Texas, including Houston, San Antonio, Dallas-Fort Worth, and Austin and reflects Clair Global’s continued focus on offering global resources while maintaining strong local-market expertise and responsiveness.

ILIOS Productions’ experience spans the concert and festival sector, corporate and activations, and high-end private, philanthropic and charitable events. The company’s commitment to critical event delivery has established trust with major brands including Lollapalooza, SXSW, Austin City Limits, Google, YouTube, the University of Texas System and many more.

Founder, President & Sr Ops Manager of ILIOS Productions, Bryan Azar, said: “After many years of working alongside LD Systems in Austin and beyond, we are delighted to be joining their world-class organisation. This is an exciting new chapter for a bolder future together.”

Zach Boswell, General Manager, ILIOS Productions, added: “We are passionate about the work we do, and the community and business culture found at LD Systems is the ideal next step for our dedicated employees to progress as a united workforce.“

LD Systems co-founder and President, Rob McKinley commented: “We are delighted to amplify our service offerings in Austin with the addition of Bryan and his exceptional team of technology professionals. They have made a significant difference to many Texans with the work they undertake, and LD Systems is proud to welcome both their talent and ethos to the company.”

Building on this momentum, LD Systems also announced plans to expand its San Antonio facility into a new location in January 2026. Together with the addition of ILIOS Productions in Austin, this investment reinforces the organisation’s long-term investment in Texas and its dedication to meeting growing client demand with enhanced capacity and infrastructure.

www.ldsystems.com

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