It's been all over the news today: Another close call on the ground at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) yesterday afternoon, ironically on the same day that the FAA announced new plans to improve runway safety! Fortunately a collision was avoided and no one was reported to have been injured in the incident.According to news reports, a WestJet Boeing 737 aircraft arriving from Calgary nearly collided with a Northwest Airbus A320 that was taking off. Apparently the WestJet aircraft had landed and was taxiing. It nearly crossed an active runway into the path of the departing Northwest plane, but managed to stop just in time. Media reports say that the two aircraft came to within 50 feet of colliding.
An article on SFGate.com about the incident at LAX quoted FAA spokesman Ian Gregor who said that the incident "appeared to have begun when the arriving pilot prematurely switched radio frequencies from air traffic control to ground traffic control before receiving final instructions from the air traffic controller on whether to cross the runway."
Gregor said the tower air traffic controllers who handle landings also tell pilots whether they are then cleared to cross runways, and ground controllers direct planes afterward.This incident was the seventh runway incursion at LAX this fiscal year.
But the arriving pilot switched radio frequencies from air traffic control to ground traffic control before receiving final instructions, Gregor said.
The pilot then made a statement to the ground controller about using a taxi route to a gate, and the ground controller assumed the plane had already crossed the inner runway, Gregor said.
The Westjet pilot then apparently saw the Northwest jet on its takeoff roll and asked if clearance had been given, and the ground controller ordered the Westjet plane to stop, Gregor said.
At that point an automated collision avoidance alarm sounded in the tower, he said.
