They nearly doubled last year.
There were no injuries, but some experts are sounding the alarms for something to be done now to prevent a disaster.
Nationwide, close calls on runways have held nearly steady, but at New York's three major airports, we've learned runway incursions have risen dramatically.
Information obtained from the Federal Aviation Administration reveals an alarming increase in near-collisions at New York's three major airports.
The combined number of runway incursions at JFK, Newark and LaGuardia airports has more than doubled in the last year.
The FAA is down-playing this huge spike in near-collisions saying none of them are categorized as severe.
A close call on the runway last month at JFK is heard on air traffic control tapes as the pilot of a Caribbean Airways plane never hears the instructions to stop.
He continued crossing the runway and into the path of a JetBlue flight just seconds from taking off.
Takeoff was aborted.
Data we've obtained from the FAA show incidents like this have soared during the last year. In 2013, JFK had 7 runway incursions. In 2014, that number more than doubled to 18 near runway collisions. We've learned that LaGuardia and Newark airports also had huge increases in incursions: From 7 at LaGuardia in 2013 to 13 last year. Newark had the biggest spike from 7 in 2013 to 19 last year, nearly a 200-percent increase in close calls.
"Probably nothing is going to happen until there's a tragedy," Tom Bunn, a former commercial airline pilot, said.
Bunn says the numbers reflect a serious problem that needs fixing but he says that would require the FAA to admit there's a problem.
"If you look at what's happened in the U.S. since 2001, no major US airline has had a fatality. So it's very hard for you and me to say, 'Hey, we have a problem.' They say 'What are you talking about? Everything is great,'" he explained. "(It's a good record) mainly because airplanes are built a lot better now than 20, 30 years ago."
The FAA says despite the huge jump in incursions, none they say was considered "severe."
Jim Peters, a FAA spokesman, tells us, "The increase is a result of improved reporting, along with increased runway and taxiway construction activity at these airports."
"That isn't sufficient for me to be assuaged," Senator Robert Menendez (D-New Jersey) said.
Senator Menendez says the spike in runway incursions shows more needs to be done to ensure there are no collisions.
"Even if they are the incursions that are on the lowest of category, an incursion is an incursion and we need to make sure that we get to the point that there's virtually none," he said.
As Eyewitness News first reported last month, the installation of runway lights designed to keep planes from colliding is way behind schedule at the three airports.
LaGuardia is expected to have these lights operational by June, but Newark and JFK not until sometime in 2016.