>>> CAN YOU JUST RIGHT NOW ASSURE THE AMERICAN PEOPLE THAT TRYING AIRCRAFT IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA IS STILL THE SAFEST WAY TO TRAVEL? >> WE HAVE SEEN NEAR MISSES AND INCIDENT THAT IS REMIND US THAT AVIATION SAFETY REQUIRES CONSTANT VIGILANCE. >> THE FAA MUST WORK HARDER. >> ON MONDAY IN BOSTON, TWO UNITED AIRLINE PLANES CLIPPED WINGS PRIOR TO TAKEOFF. WHAT THE HECK IS DOING ON IN AIR TRAVEL? >> LAWMAKERS GRILLING THE ACTING FAA ADMINISTRATOR ON CAPITOL HILL AFTER A SERIES OF VERY NARROW MISSES IN RECENT MONTHS THAT COULD HAVE BEEN CATASTROPHIC AIRLINE ACCIDENTS. NTSB CHAIR JENNIFER HOMENDY IS STANDING BY TO TALK ABOUT THAT, AND THE LATEST ON THAT TOXIC TRAIN DERAILMENT IN OHIO, BUT FIRST, THE QUESTION SENATOR TED CRUZ ASKED. WHAT THE HECK IS GOING ON WITH AIR TRAVEL? EVERY DAY, 45,000 FLIGHTS TAKE OFF AND LAND ACROSS THE U.S., BUT A STRING OF FRIGHTENING CLOSE CALLS IN JUST THE LAST FEW MONTHS ALARMING TRAVELERS. >> THE FAA IS NOW INVESTIGATING YET ANOTHER CLOSE CALL. >> A NEAR CATASTROPHE AT NEW YORK'S JFK AIRPORT. >> IT'S THE SECOND TIME WE'VE SEEN THIS IN JUST WEEKS. >> Reporter: ONE OF THE MOST ALARMING, A UNITED 777 PACKED WITH VACATIONERS DEPARTING THE ISLAND OF MAUI, RISING ON TAKEOFF. THEN QUICKLY TAKING A NOSEDIVE. >> IT CAME WITHIN FIVE SECONDS OF IMPACTING THE WATER. RIGHT NOW IT APPEARS THERE WAS A PROBLEM IN THE COCKPIT. >> Reporter: ABC CONTRIBUTOR STEVE GANYARD HAD A DECADES' LONG CAREER AS A MARINE CORPS FIGHTER PILOT AND MISHAPS. >> WE HAVE HAD AT LEAST FIVE VERY SERIOUS INCIDENTS THAT COULD HAVE LED TO TWO CATASTROPHES. THE COMMON THREAD WE SEE HERE IS HUMAN ERROR, SO IN THREE OF THESE MOST SERIOUS INCIDENTS, IT SEEMS PILOTS WERE MAKING MISTAKES IN THE COCKPIT AND TWO OF THEM WERE SEEING MISTAKES THAT WERE MADE IN THE CONTROL TOWER THAT ALMOST LED TO MISHAPS. >> Reporter: IN AUSTIN EARLIER THIS MONTH, A FEDEX CARGO PLANE AND A SOUTHWEST PASSENGER JET NEARLY COLLIDED. AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL CLEARING THE SOUTHWEST JET TO DEPART FROM THE SAME RUNWAY WHERE THE FEDEX PLANE WAS SET TO LAND. >> SOUTHWEST ABORT. FEDEX IS ON THE GO. >> Reporter: SPOTTING THE PLANE AND ABORTING THEIR LANDING. >> FOR SOME REASON, THEY GOT SO CLOSE THAT THEY CAME WITHIN 100 FEET OF HITTING EACH OTHER. >> Reporter: AND IN JANUARY, AT JFK IN NEW YORK -- >> DELTA 1943, CANCEL TAKEOFF PLANS. >> REJECTING. >> Reporter: -- A TAXIING PLANE ALMOST COLLIDED WITH ANOTHER TAKING OFF. JUST 1,000 FEET SEPARATING THEM. >> IF THOSE WHO AIRPLANES HAD COLLIDED, THAT WOULD HAVE BEEN THE WORST AVIATION DISASTER IN AMERICAN HISTORY. 300 PEOPLE COULD HAVE BEEN KILLED THERE. >> HOW DOES THAT HAPPEN WITH A PILOT? >> EVERY HUMAN BEING AND EVERY PILOT MAKES THEIR SHARE OF MISTAKES. YOU HAVE TO HAVE SORT OF LAYERS OF SAFETY. IF I MAKE A MISTAKE, YOU PICK UP ON IT AND YOU FIX ME. >> Reporter: BEHIND THE ALARMING INCIDENTS, GANYARD SAYS IS AN AIRLINE SYSTEM OVERWHELMED. DO YOU THINK WE'RE PUSHING THE SYSTEM TOO HARD THEN? >> THE SYSTEM IS DEFINITELY BEING PUSHED TOO HARD. COVID'S OVER FOR THE FLYING PUBLIC, BE YOU THE AIRLINES ARE STILL TRYING TO CATCH UP. THEY DON'T HAVE THE PEOPLE. THEY DON'T HAVE THE PARTS AND SO THEY'RE ABOUT 75%, 80%. SO ANY TIME YOU STRESS A SYSTEM LIKE THAT, YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE THINGS THAT BREAK AND YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE PEOPLE THAT MAKE MISTAKES. >> Reporter: THE NATION'S SKIES NOT THE ONLY PLACE WHERE TRANSPORT IS UNDER SCRUTINY AFTER A SERIES OF TRAIN DERAILMENTS INCLUDING THAT MAJOR INCIDENT IN EAST PALESTINE, OHIO. >> THE RAIL SYSTEM IS JUST LIKE THE AVIATION SYSTEM. IT RELIES ON PEOPLE, AND IN 2022, THE CAUSE OF MOST OF THE MISHAPS IN THE RAIL SYSTEM WAS