FAA Opens Investigation Into Boston Logan Go-Around Incident
A runway incursion event at one of the nation's busiest airports places renewed scrutiny on FAA air traffic control protocols and staffing adequacy at Logan.
The Federal Aviation Administration has opened an investigation into a runway safety incident at Boston Logan International Airport in which a Delta Air Lines flight was directed to execute a go-around after an aircraft departed from an intersecting runway, according to a report published by Fox News on June 21, 2026. A go-around is a standard aviation safety procedure in which an approaching aircraft aborts its landing and climbs back to a safe altitude to re-enter the approach pattern.
The FAA confirmed the investigation is underway, per the Fox News report. The agency has statutory authority under 49 U.S.C. § 44701 to investigate air traffic incidents and mandate corrective actions at certificated airports. Boston Logan International Airport, designated BOS, is operated by Massport, a Massachusetts public authority, and handles more than 40 million passengers annually, according to Massport's most recent annual traffic report.
Runway incursion investigations are logged by the FAA in its Aviation Safety Information Analysis and Sharing (ASIAS) database, and formal findings are published through the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) when incidents meet reportable thresholds. It is not yet known whether the NTSB has opened a parallel inquiry into this specific event. An NTSB preliminary report, which is typically released within 30 days of a reportable incident, would be the public record that answers that question.
The incident occurs against a backdrop of ongoing congressional attention to FAA staffing. The FAA Reauthorization Act of 2024 (Public Law 118-63), signed in May 2024, mandated a workforce study on air traffic controller staffing levels and set hiring benchmarks for the agency. The FAA's most recent controller workforce plan, submitted to Congress as required under that law, identified staffing shortfalls at multiple high-traffic facilities, though it is unknown whether Boston Logan's TRACON or tower facility was among those flagged.
Several material facts remain unknown as of publication: the flight numbers of the aircraft involved, the specific runway designations at Logan where the event occurred, whether any FAA operational deviation report has been filed, and whether the controller on duty at the time was working within mandated rest and hours-of-service rules. The FAA's Air Traffic Organization incident reporting system and any NTSB preliminary report would contain those details upon release.