MIAMI -- The skies of South Florida almost became the scene of a crash last weekend when two airliners narrowly avoided colliding in the air.

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Near Miss Over South Florida

At about 2:45 p.m. on Saturday, British West Indies Airlines flight 431 had just taken off from Miami International Airport. Eleven miles southwest of MIA, air traffic controllers told the pilot to maintain an altitude of 7,000 feet, but he failed to acknowledge this and continued to climb, NBC 6's Ike Seamans reported.

The Story In Pictures: Officials: Planes Almost Collide

The BWIA pilot did not realize it, but just above him, at 8,000 feet, American Airlines flight 2198 was preparing to land.

The BWIA 737 was headed for Barbados; the American Airlines 757 was just minutes from completing the journey from Mexico City.

Back at MIA's tower, horrified controllers said they helplessly watched the drama unfold on radar screens.

The planes were so close, some of BWIA's 200 passengers said they could clearly see the logo on the American jet. Both pilots were able to take evasive action to avoid a disaster in the air.

What saved them was TCAS, or.the traffic collision and avoidance system, on both aircraft. TCAS, which is programmed to alert pilots of an impending collision, has saved many lives over the years.

The Federal Aviation Administration's investigation will continue for several weeks, according to the FAA spokesperson in Atlanta. Preliminary results show that the BWIA plane did not follow instructions from air traffic controllers.