Photos show how close an Air Canada jet came to causing one of the worst aviation disasters in history
According to the NTSB, Air Canada Flight 759 was at just 85 feet of altitude when the pilots powered up its engines to abort the landing.
The Airbus A320 dipped to as low as 59 feet before climbing to safety.
"In post-incident interviews, both incident pilots stated that, during their first approach, they believed the lighted runway on their left was 28L and that they were lined up for 28R," the NTSB report said.
"They also stated that they did not recall seeing aircraft on taxiway C but that something did not look right to them."
Even though the pilots didn't see any aircraft, there were, in fact, four fully loaded jets sitting on taxiway C awaiting takeoff. That means the Air Canada jet came within feet of colliding with three fueled and loaded widebody airliners. Air Canada declined to comment on the matter.
Along with the report, the NTSB released a set of photos and diagrams showing what transpired that evening. Take a look.