Pilot distraction is being eyed as a factor in the Oct. 24, 2023, runway collision of two business jets at William P. Hobby Airport (KHOU) in Houston, Texas, according to details in a preliminary NTSB report issued late last week.

At 3:20 p.m. local time, a Raytheon Hawker 850XP (N269AA) that was taking off collided with a landing Cessna Citation Mustang (N510HM) at the intersection of Runways 22 and 13R. ​No injuries were reported among the occupants of either aircraft.

The Hawker sustained minor damage, while the Citation was substantially damaged. ​N269AA was operating under Part 135 as an on-demand passenger flight from KHOU to Waukesha, Wisconsin, and N510HM was operating under Part 91 from Atlanta to KHOU.

The collision occurred during the Hawker's takeoff roll, though the controller instructed the crew of the jet to line up and wait on Runway 22. The controller had cleared the Citation to land on Runway 13R. Despite attempts by the controller to get the Hawker crew to stop the airplane, they did not respond. ​

In a post-accident interview, the Hawker crew believed they were cleared for takeoff. They also reported investigating cabin alerts during taxi and takeoff roll.

“As the airplane began the left turn to be perpendicular to the runway, they stated the V-speeds were no longer on the display screens,” according to the preliminary report. 

Approximately three minutes later, the airplane had entered its takeoff roll, “when the flight data/clearance delivery controller alerted the local controller about N269AA’s movement, and at 1519:47 the local controller stated ‘November nine alpha alpha, stop, hold your position.’ There was no response from the crew of N269AA, and at 1519:53 the local controller again stated, ‘Alpha, alpha, hold your position, stop,’ to which there was still no response,” the NTSB report states.

KHOU is equipped with airport surface detection equipment—Model X (ASDE-X)—to enable controllers to track aircraft movements on the ground. “The controllers noticed N269AA’s movement before the ASDE-X alert,” however, according to the report. 

In a post-flight interview, the Hawker crew said they were investigating two alerts for pitch trim and rudder bias during the takeoff roll. The two crewmembers reported not seeing the other aircraft until about one second before the collision.

The pilot of the Citation reported not seeing the Hawker, but hearing a thud on impact. The Hawker took off and subsequently requested a return to the runway and were granted clearance to go around and land. Post-accident examinations showed significant damage to the left wing of N269AA and to the tail section of N510HM. 

According to the preliminary report, the Hawker was equipped with a cockpit voice recorder, which has been sent to the NTSB Vehicle Recorder Laboratory in Washington, D.C., for analysis. The Citation was not equipped with a recorder. 

The NTSB investigation is ongoing, with the FAA; National Air Traffic Controllers Union; Textron Aviation; DuPage Aerospace, the operator of N269AA; and My Jet DOM, the operator of N510HM, as parties.