CHAOS AT LAX: An American Airlines flight was forced to abort takeoff after a cargo jet unexpectedly crossed its runway, leaving passengers shaken and air traffic controllers scrambling. Eyewitnesses report tense moments as safety crews rushed in — could this have been a near-disaster? 😱✈️
American Airlines plane aborts takeoff at Los Angeles International Airport after cargo jet crosses the runway in front of it
An American Airlines pilot taking off at Los Angeles International Airport had to slam on the brakes Sunday after a cargo plane crossed the runway in front of it.
AeroLogic Flight 619, using the callsign German Cargo 619, landed at LAX at 10:33 p.m. from Shanghai, China. AeroLogic is a joint venture between Lufthansa Cargo and DHL.
The Boeing 777 was waiting between two runways to taxi to its parking spot as American Airlines flight 2453 was preparing for takeoff for Boston.
Air traffic control directed the AeroLogic flight to cross runway 25L, but instead the pilots made a right turn, putting them in the path of the jet, according to audio from the website LiveATC.net.
“German Cargo 619, Stop,” the LAX air traffic controller said urgently.
“We are on the runway,” the cargo pilot responded.
“American 2453, cancel takeoff clearance,” the controller said in the LiveATC audio.
“2453 is stopping,” the American Airlines pilot responded.
According to the Federal Aviation Administration, the AeroLogic flight crossed runway 25R “without authorization.”
The American Flight was going about 167 miles an hour before it slammed on the brakes, about 1.3 miles away from the cargo plane, according to the flight tracking site Flightradar24.
“We thank our crew members for their quick action and our customers for their understanding,” the airline said in a statement.
The American flight returned to the gate and took off for Boston 2.5 hours late.
It’s not clear why the AeroLogic cargo flight made the right turn, however the air traffic controller did, at times, refer to the flight as 419 instead of 619 and urged the pilot to cross the runway “as fast as you can” because of other planes landing.
AeroLogic did not immediately respond to CNN’s request for comment.
