FLIGHT FRIGHT

American Airlines Flight Aborts Takeoff in Scary Near Miss on Runway

A cargo plane slipped onto the runway by mistake.

An American Airlines flight was forced to abort a takeoff at 154 miles per hour to avoid colliding with an errant plane on the runway. AA Flight 2453 was taking off from Los Angeles International Airport bound for Boston when Aerologic Flight 619 appeared in front of it. The cargo flight rolled onto the runway “without authorization,” the Federal Aviation Administration said. The two planes came within 5,200 feet of each other. The runways at LAX range from 8,926 to 12,293 feet long. The AA Airbus A321 was carrying 93 passengers and seven crew when it was forced to slam on the brakes. FlightRadar24 shows the plane turned right towards the gate after losing speed. It later took off safely after a two-and-a-half-hour delay. CNN reports the cargo plane, a Boeing 777, had landed from Shanghai, China. It had been directed to cross runway 25L, but instead turned right, crossing into the path the Airbus had been due to take. “We thank our crew members for their quick action and our customers for their understanding,” American Airlines said. The Daily Beast has contacted Los Angeles Airport for comment.