Near collision at LAX: Quick-thinking controllers avert disaster
A Delta Airlines plane nearly collided with an Embraer E135 at Los Angeles airport. Only the quick reaction of air traffic controllers prevented a disaster.
The dangerous incident occurred on December 26, when a Delta Airlines plane was just taking off.
According to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), a Key Lime Air Embraer E135, which had the Gonzaga University basketball team on board and was just beginning preparations for takeoff, received an urgent order to stop before entering the runway.
Controllers shouted "Stop, stop, stop," in an attempt to halt the moving aircraft on the runway. The plane crossed the protective barriers and stopped just before the edge of the runway where the Delta Airlines plane was taking off.
The FAA, the agency overseeing civil aviation in the United States, announced a detailed investigation into the incident.
