Alaska Airlines flight aborts takeoff after Southwest plane cleared to cross same runway

An Alaska Airlines plane was forced to abort takeoff at the Nashville International Airport after a Southwest flight was cleared to cross from the same runway, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.

Alaska Airlines flight 369 was headed to Seattle on Thursday morning and had received clearance to take off from air traffic control, the airline said in a statement, when Southwest flight 2029 was cleared to cross the end of the same runway, the FAA said.

The Alaska Airlines pilots had to break so hard and fast that the tires on their plane blew out, the airline said.

The crew was able to get the plane off the runway and close to the terminal, but the tires deflated “due to heat buildup from the rapid stop on the runway, as designed,” according to Alaska Airlines.

All 176 passengers on board safely deplaned to the terminal, the airline said. It said it sent another plane to Nashville to take those passengers to Seattle on Thursday night.

Six crew members were also on board, Alaska Airlines said, and maintenance technicians in Nashville were inspecting the aircraft.

“We’re grateful for the expertise of our pilots who immediately applied the brakes to prevent the incident from escalating,” Alaska Airline said. “We’re deeply sorry for the concerning experience this created for our guests and crew members.”

No one was injured, the airline said.

“Our pilots train for these situations, and they handled the situation expertly,” Alaska Airlines said.

The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board are investigating the incident.

Southwest said it is in contact with the FAA and the NTSB and will “participate in the investigation.”