ABORT... ABORT!

Pilot Slams on Brakes in Scary Takeoff Close Call

Air traffic controllers freaked out after the jet began picking up speed on the runway.

A foggy sequence of events nearly ended in disaster on a runway in Sao Paulo, Brazil, on Saturday. Air traffic control had told the crew aboard a LATAM Airlines passenger jet that they did not have clearance to take off because two other planes, operated by American Airlines and Delta Air Lines, needed to cross the runway first. Dense fog had reduced visibility on the runway, sparking panic at the control tower when the LATAM aircraft began picking up speed along the tarmac anyway. The unexpected acceleration prompted a panicked second call to crew aboard the plane, at which point the pilot then slammed the brakes and aborted takeoff so that the other two jets could get out of the way first. It was not immediately clear what led to the confusion given the crew had confirmed they’d received the order to cancel takeoff before appearing to charge ahead with it anyway. LATAM said only that the flight “interrupted its takeoff after a request from air traffic control,” that the “procedure was carried out safely,” and that it is currently “in contact with the authorities” over the incident.