Chilling Account of Near-Miss

Federal investigators released alarming details about controller errors that nearly caused a midair collision last year between a heavily loaded American Airlines jet and a military cargo plane off the East Coast, highlighting problems at New York's premier traffic-control facility.

A report by the National Transportation Safety Board disclosed mistakes and miscommunications by air-traffic controllers, ending with the two big planes speeding on converging courses in the dark off the coast of New York. The jets, both at 22,000 feet, barreled directly toward each other for at least a minute without pilots seeing the other aircraft or realizing the extent of the danger.