Pilots of an Alaska Airlines jet braked to avoid a possible collision with a Southwest Airlines plane in Nashville

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — An Alaska Airlines plane taking off from Nashville stopped abruptly on the runway to avoid a possible collision Thursday with a Southwest Airlines plane, and federal agencies are investigating the incident.

The Federal Aviation Administration said the Alaska pilots aborted their takeoff because the Southwest plane had been cleared to cross the end of the same runway.

An Alaska Airlines spokesman said the pilots recognized “a potential traffic conflict on the runway” and “immediately applied the brakes to prevent the incident from escalating.”

No injuries were reported, but the Boeing 737 Max’s tires were slashed due to extreme heat buildup during the layover, according to the Seattle-based airline.

The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board said they are investigating the incident, which happened around 9:15 a.m. at Nashville International Airport.

Southwest said it was in contact with the FAA and NTSB and would participate in the investigation.

Alaska Airlines said the Seattle-bound flight was carrying 176 passengers and six crew members. The plane was inspected and another plane was dispatched to take the passengers to Seattle Thursday night, the airline said.

“We are grateful for the expertise of our pilots who immediately applied the brakes to prevent the incident from escalating,” the airline said.

A series of near-miss incidents, or “runway incursions,” over the past two years has raised concerns about the safety of air travel in the United States. NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy said last November that the incidents, while “incredibly rare” compared to the number of flights, show that the aviation system is under pressure.

Some incidents have been blamed on pilots failing to follow instructions from air traffic controllers. However, the most frightening of the near-misses — a FedEx jet landing in Austin, Texas, flew over a Southwest Airlines jet taking off on a foggy February morning in 2023 — was blamed on errors by an air traffic controller.

Thursday’s incident comes just days after two Delta Air Lines planes collided on a taxiway at Atlanta’s airport, with the larger plane hitting the tail of a smaller regional jet. No injuries were reported.