'Cancel takeoff!' Audio captures terror as two planes nearly collide at JFK

Newly released audio shows the panic of air traffic controllers as two passenger jets nearly collided at New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport in an incident that occurred on Friday, according to The Daily Beast.

"A Delta Air Lines flight was taking off around 8:45 p.m. Friday evening when air traffic controllers noticed an American Airlines flight crossing the same runway," reported Corbin Bolies. "The Delta flight managed to stop about 1,000 feet from the American Airlines jet, according to an initial FAA analysis, averting disaster by the skin of its teeth. Flight watcher @xJonNYC tweeted air traffic control audio of the exchange in which someone can be heard saying, 'Sh*t! Delta 1943 cancel takeoff plans! Delta 1943 cancel takeoff plans!'" said the report.

A collision was safely averted.

According to CNBC, the Delta flight, which was heading to the Dominican Republic, had to return to the terminal and unload passengers, and was rescheduled for the next morning due to crew resources. The Federal Aviation Administration has launched an investigation.

Air crashes are rare, with a wealth of data showing that flying is the safest form of travel. However, roughly half of all crashes that do occur happen at takeoff or landing.

Collisions between aircraft are often the most devastating air disasters. The deadliest plane crash in world history was a 1977 collision between two Boeing 747s on the runway at Los Rodeos Airport on Tenerife, off the coast of Africa, killing 583 people.

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