A FedEx cargo plane attempting to land at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport on Saturday morning had to change course after a second plane was cleared to depart from the same runway, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.
"The pilot of the FedEx aircraft stopped descending and proceeded to climb," the FAA said in a statement.
The Boeing 767 freighter was several miles from the airport when it was cleared to land, according to the Federal Aviation Administration. But just before the plane touched down, the air traffic controller gave the go-ahead for a plane operated by Southwest Airlines to take off.
In a tweet on Saturday, the National Transportation Safety Board called the matter a "potential runway incursion and overflight of planes from Southwest Airlines and FedEx."
The FAA said the Southwest flight was able to depart safely.
The FAA and NTSB said they are investigating the crash.
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In an emailed statement, Shannon Davis, a FedEx spokeswoman said, "FedEx Express Flight 1432 from Memphis, Tenn. to Austin, Texas has landed safely after an encounter with an event prior to landing at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport this morning."
Davis and Southwest Airlines have each referred other questions to the FAA and NTSB.
In a statement to the AP, Austin-Bergstrom International said it was "aware of the FAA's investigation into the grounding of a flight. We will assist our FAA partners and their investigation as necessary."
A similar close call at John F. Kennedy International Airport was averted last month after an American Airlines plane crossed the runway as a Delta Airlines Boeing 737 was preparing for takeoff. The Delta plane came to a stop 1,000 feet from where the American Airlines plane crossed from an adjacent lane, according to an FAA statement.
Austin-Bergstrom is located about 5 miles southeast of downtown Austin.