Is there a database of "near misses" at Heathrow?
Posted by kimba-the-tabby-lion@reddit | aviation | View on Reddit | 6 comments
Apologies if this is not the right group, let me know where it belongs.
I flew into LHR on 30/12/2025 on TG916. We were far past final approach, we were landing. I wrote at the time we were 200m above the ground, but maybe it was double that, but either way, you're landing in moments.
Then suddenly, the plane started climbing again! WTF? Pilot said something about another plane on the runway. I was - at the time - meh, because if there was danger, it had passed. Also it had been a long journey. Also alsø, g&ts.
But I have been thinking about it today. Not worried, just curious. Two questions:
- Was this a “near miss” in technical/legal sense?
- If it is, is there a database that I might see it recorded?
(Fwiw, I live under a Heathrow flight path. If LHR decides to kill me, it will drop a plane on my head. I'm assuming LHR is a vengeful god, not an airport)
pattern_altitude@reddit
Not a near miss.
Go arounds are normal.
railker@reddit
Replay on ADS-BExchange (set a couple minutes early so you have time to set the replay speed as desired)
OP is THA916 on final approach, AIC133 is still on the runway and a little slow to exit.
At the point the Go-Around is initiated (vertical speed changes to positive), the aircraft was approximately 260ft / 79m above the ground and 650m / 2,000+ft from the touchdown markers.
Air India 133 was another 3.3km / 2 miles down the runway exiting on A5. By the time OP's aircraft passed that point on the runway, their altitude was 2,300+ ft / 700m above them.
Nothing I'd call even close to a 'close call', but I know that Canada tracks any 'event' with our CADORS (Civil Aviation Daily Occurrence Reporting System), even boring go-arounds. Not sure if NATS/UK has a reporting system for that that'd keep track of it. And if they did, it would likely just read like one of ours, such as:
[Date, time, aircraft, airline, etc.]
An Air Canada Inc. (C-FHOY/ACA663) from CYHZ to CYUL was instructed to conduct a go-around because the previous arrival, a Porter Airlines Inc. de Havilland (C-GLQP/PTR2459) from CYTZ to CYUL, was still on the runway.
C'est tout.
Apprehensive_Cost937@reddit
Technically, at 200ft it's still final approach.
That likely wasn't a near miss, sometimes for various reasons, the runway is occupied for longer than the controller anticipated, for example the preceeding aircraft takes longer to vacate - perhaps they've missed their desired exit, and have slowed down and have to taxi further down the runway to the next available exit. In this case, the aircraft on approach will be - instead of receiving the landing clearance - instructed to go around, which is a pretty straight forward manuever.
This happens every day, especially at busy airports. It would be more alerting if ATC cleared the aircraft to land onto an occupied runway (which is what happens as a standard procedure in USA, unfortunately), and then either pilots or ATC realised the mistake at the last second, but it's pretty unlikely that was the case.
cincinn_audi@reddit
200m per OP, so actually quite a bit higher. Agree with your general point, probably just a typical go-around. Can't imagine there's much more to it than that.
agha0013@reddit
You can try av herald.
Huge database of incidents and accidents of all sorts. There's probably a few ways to search and filter.
The date that a thing is posted there doesn't necessarily match the date the event happened. So just need to look at the correct dates
post-explainer@reddit
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