The Nation - News from Nov. 17, 1986

An air traffic controller’s error may have been responsible for the near collision of two American Airlines jetliners near the Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport, a Federal Aviation Administration spokesman said. “That’s a preliminary finding and we are continuing the investigation,” he said. Neither the pilot landing nor the one ascending had to take evasive action, an airline spokesman said. The planes, carrying a total of 185 passengers, came within half a mile vertically of each other about 15 miles southwest of the airport, the FAA spokesman said. He did not know whether action had been taken against the controller.