O National Transportation Safety Bureau (NTSB) This week released the final report of an incident involving a JetBlue Airbus A320 that sustained substantial damage during takeoff to avoid a collision.

The incident happened in January 2022, when an Airbus A320-200 (N760JB) was preparing to take off at Hayden-Yampa Valley Airport (HDN), in Colorado.

The crew carried out all the take-off procedures on runway 10 at the airport and was aware of the approach of a King Air (N350J), an aircraft that should theoretically land on the same runway, however, at the same threshold as where the Airbus A320 would take off, which Did not happen.

Interestingly, the crew of the JetBlue plane continued with takeoff, at which time the King Air was six kilometers away, but they were soon surprised to learn that the plane was coming in the opposite direction (runway 28), on a collision course.

As a way to take off the plane as quickly as possible, the pilots decided to tilt the aircraft before the ideal moment, carrying out an intentional 'tailstrike' to avoid the collision. The moment was recorded by the airport's security cameras, check it out below:

CCTV shows moment JetBlue A320 pitched up before rotation speed and struck its tail to avoid head on landing traffic at Hayden-Yampa Valley Airport on 22 January 2022. pic.twitter.com/aHIeToY28l

- Breaking Aviation News & Videos (@aviationbrk) December 14, 2023

"The crew that the King Air was arriving on runway 10 distorted their perception of the information received, such that contradictory evidence (radio calls indicating that the King Air was landing on runway 28) was ignored,” the NTSB report stated.

The report pointed out that the King Air crew did not make clear their intention to land on runway 28, even though they warned over the radio, the NTSB pointed out that the word 'runway' was not said.

After the abrupt takeoff, JetBlue pilots diverted to Denver (DEN) to investigate possible damage to the fuselage of the Airbus A320.

Read also 

• FAA issues new maintenance requirements for PW110G engines
• LATAM gives 10 tips for traveling with children during the end of year holidays
• Confins Airport now has direct flights to Buenos Aires