JetBlue pilot says he took off quickly to avoid head-on crash with incoming plane: "I hope you don't hit us"

The tail of a JetBlue plane struck a Colorado runway during takeoff last year when the captain quickly pointed the jet's nose upward to get airborne and avoid a head-on crash with a plane preparing to land on the same runway, federal investigators revealed Wednesday. The report's publication follows a string of similar incidents on U.S. airport runways in recent months.

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.