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O'Hare Is Most Dangerous U.S. Airport, Report Claims

CHICAGO (CBS) -- Chicago's O'Hare International Airport is the most dangerous airport in America, according to a new report by Travel and Leisure.

The big concern: the number of near-misses.

Midway Airport came in at 11. But at O'Hare, the article says there have been 75 runway incidents in five years, including a near-collision between a plane taking off and another taxiing. It could have been catastrophic, but O'Hare wasn't the only one on the list.

"This is an indication of these older airports -- a lot of

crossing runways, a lot of congestion. They do poorly in these reports, and we know it's a struggle to get them fixed," DePaul University transportation expert Joe Schwieterman told CBS 2's Kristyn Hartman.

Midway, according to Travel and Leisure, has had 23 incidents in five years. In 2005, a jet slid off one and onto a street, killing a child on the ground.

Now there are measures in place to slow down planes.

"The good news is, there's no evidence safety's getting worse," Schwieterman said.

Asked if O'Hare truly is the most dangerous U.S. airport, pilot John Hoff replied, "I take it with a grain of salt."

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