The pilots in command skillfully steered the plane sharply to the right, post-takeoff, narrowly averting a close encounter with the other aircraft.
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From CBS News:
The National Transportation Safety Board said that the JetBlue captain pointed the nose of his jet up more quickly than normal "due to his surprise about encountering head on landing traffic."
The crew of the other plane, a Beechcraft King Air 350, was startled when the JetBlue plane announced that it was beginning to taxi onto the runway. The King Air was still more than 5 miles from the airport, but closing fast.
"I hope you don't hit us," the King Air crew said to the JetBlue pilots.
The JetBlue captain and co-pilot said they never saw the other plane, but they veered to the right after takeoff to avoid traffic that was detected by the collision-avoidance system on their jet.
The NTSB said flight data indicates that the planes were about 2.6 miles apart when the JetBlue Airbus A320 began its climbing right turn away from the airport.
