SpaceX stopped the launch sequence of its Falcon 9 just 11 seconds to liftoff because a Boeing 767 entered a restricted area.
A Delta Boeing 767-300ER departed Los Angeles Sunday, January 19 2025 at 07:08 PST then was vectored above the Vandenberg Air Force base while a Space X Falcon 9 launch was in progress.
During the live broadcast, a voice could be heard in the control room: “Hold, hold, hold!” And then, “Held for a possible aircraft in the airspace.”
The Delta flight DL480 departed LAX airport to Honolulu, was operated by a 26-year-old aircraft (registration N169DZ).
The B767 (216 passengers on board) encroaching on the restricted airspace meant that SpaceX was forced to delay the launch until Monday at the earliest.
“The Delta crew on flight 480 continues to follow ATC instruction along its journey from Los Angeles (LAX) to Honolulu (HNL). The flight is en route to HNL with no issue.”
Delta spokesperson
The Federal Aviation Administration is expected to open an investigation into how ATC controllers came to instruct the pilots of DL480 to fly through a TFR.
