Passenger's fear of near miss at Detroit Metro was 'routine maneuver' FAA says

A plane coming from Paris to Detroit missed another plane while attempting to land at Detroit Metro Airport, according to the pilot.

Local perspective:

Tammy Sambrano was on a trip to France and was on a flight back to Michigan when the incident happened. She said they had almost landed when suddenly her plane launched back into the air. 

"We had two minutes to land," she said. "I looked out the window and I see the ground. I’m like okay we made it and then next thing you know, the plane took off like a flight jet into the clouds."

The Air France plane, according to the pilot, had just missed another plane.

"The pilot comes over the speaker and says: sorry about that folks, there was a plane in the way so we had to go around it," she said.

Tami and her son spent quality time in Paris, but the return trip brought back memories of two other major plane crashes recently.

What they're saying:

The FAA addressed what happened, saying it was a "routine maneuver."

FAA statement

"An air traffic controller instructed Air France Airlines Flight 378 to perform a go-around at Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport around 7:05 p.m. local time on Sunday, Feb. 2, because a previous arrival was slow to exit the runway. The required separation was maintained.

"A go-around is a safe, routine maneuver performed at the discretion of a pilot or at the request of an air traffic controller. It discontinues the landing approach and returns the aircraft to an altitude and configuration to safely make another approach. The pilot and the air traffic controller are in full command of the situation."

The backstory:

On Wednesday, an American Airlines jet carrying 64 people collided on Wednesday with a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter while landing at Ronald Reagan National Airport.

Three soldiers were onboard the helicopter, an Army official said. The collision prompted a large search-and-rescue operation in the nearby Potomac River, which resulted in dozens of fatalities. 

Then later that week, hundreds of firefighters and first responders descended on Northeast Philadelphia on Friday evening after the plane crash in the area.

Witnesses said there were multiple cars on fire after the plane went down as neighbors nearby heard loud explosions.

What's next:

Back in Detroit, Tammy said there needs to be more air traffic control employees. 

Despite the fact that the pilot did land the plane safely, she is now concerned for her future flight later in the year.

"I’m scared to go in October. I said, well hopefully, by October, everything will be ironed out," she said. 

The Source: FOX 2 talked with flight passenger Tammy Sambrano.

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