2 passenger jets close to collision at Los Angeles airport

[question everything]

Source: International Herald Tribune (AP)

LOS ANGELES: Two commercial jets — one traveling at 150 mph (240 kph) — nearly collided on the tarmac at Los Angeles International Airport on Thursday, officials said. The close call at about 1 p.m. appeared to have been caused by mistakes made by both the arriving pilot and a ground traffic controller, said Ian Gregor, a spokesman for the Federal Aviation Administration.

A WestJet Boeing 737 landing from Calgary, Canada, which seats up to 132 passengers, came as close as 50 feet (15 meters) from striking a 150-seat Northwest Airbus A320 that was taking off. The Northwest jet was traveling about 150 mph when the WestJet craft approached its path. The WestJet plane managed to stop just in time to avoid a crash. No one was hurt, authorities said. An investigation was under way.

Gregor said the arriving pilot was on the wrong radio frequency and unable to receive directions from the air traffic controller. When the pilot then notified the ground traffic controller that the plane was approaching the gate, the ground controller cleared him without checking first with the air traffic controller.

The "runway incursion" was the eighth such incident at LAX this year, matching the total for all of 2006.


Read more: http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/08/17/america/NA-GEN-US-Near-Collision.php

[Drunken Irishman]

1. Did anyone read the headline and think it was going to happen?

Then think, well why aren't they doing anything about it?

I mean if I say "runner close to finish line," do you not think I mean he's still running?

Hm...

[Posteritatis]

5. Maybe they update really really fast

"Thus just in (12:54:52.3663181 PM)..."

[napi21]

2. This kind of stuff happens quite often at busy airports. You just

rarely hear about it.

[Pilotguy]

3. It's only a matter of time...

Before there is a major collision on the ground between two airliners.

http://www.ntsb.gov/ntsb/brief.asp?ev_id=20070723X00975&key=2

http://www.ntsb.gov/ntsb/brief.asp?ev_id=20070712X00919&key=2

http://www.ntsb.gov/ntsb/brief.asp?ev_id=20070618X00759&key=2

http://www.ntsb.gov/ntsb/brief.asp?ev_id=20070610X00701&key=2

http://www.ntsb.gov/ntsb/brief.asp?ev_id=20070610X00702&key=2

http://www.ntsb.gov/ntsb/brief.asp?ev_id=20070110X00037&key=2

[Xenotime]

4. This is getting out of control

[Drunken Irishman]

6. You're out of control.

[maseman]

7. Have you ever looked around

at a busy airport? No offense folks but when you have serious amounts of any kind of traffic accidents will happen. No different then a busy intersection having an accident from time to time.

Humans are controlling huge pieces of metal with thousands of horsepower engines. It will happen.

[Drunken Irishman]

8. It was a joke, sorry if it was not clear.

[AX10]

9. Close call.