Three Planes Cleared For Same LAX Runway Avoid Crash

The Associated Press ^ | February 22, 2006 | AP

[Westlander]

LOS ANGELES -- Federal investigators are trying to figure out why an air traffic controller directed three planes onto the same runway at Los Angeles International Airport last week.

A Federal Aviation Administration spokesman said, "It was pretty close."

[Westlander]

Woops.

[wideawake]

Perhaps 2, by mistake - but 3?

[Zuben Elgenubi]

Almost a merger of Air Canada and Southwest.

[2banana]

Is his first name Mohamed?

[Sometimes A River]

Obviously caused by the Bush budget cuts to the FAA...

[Lx]

Controller Achmed was unavailable for comment.

[Yo-Yo]

Last Friday, the controller directed a departing turboprop to taxi on the same runway where he'd just cleared a Southwest Airlines jet to land. He also told an Air Canada jet it could cross the same runway on its way to the terminals.

Bah, the turboprop woulda made it if he just gunned it. you gotta take any opening in the traffic you can get...

[OldFriend]

Anticipation of Dubai controlling the ports?

[kenth]

A lax traffic controller... you can't make this stuff up.

[allen08gop]

At least one pilot needs a change of shorts.

[mass55th]

"Is his first name Mohamed?"

LOL! You beat me to it.

[jdm]

"The pilot of the smaller plane saw the incoming Southwest jet and stopped short of the runway. The jet roared past about 275 feet away and 50 feet above the smaller plane."

Hello!

[evets]

[commish]

Reminds of the old Bob Newhart routine :

Cessna light 235 you are cleared for landing on Runway 29
UNited 747 heavy you are cleared for landing on Runway 29
Cessna light 235 don't look behind you when you land.

[jdm]

Was the air traffic controller repeatedly shouting "Allah Akhbar" during the incident?

[VRWCmember]

Looks like I picked the wrong week to give up drinking.

[gridlock]

"I picked a helluva week to give up smoking..."

[dfwgator]

Sounds straight out of Die Hard 2.

[kevao]

This wouldn't happen if UAE ran the operations at our airports.

[AppyPappy]

It's BUSH'S fault. It must be getting close to strike time. The media is going to report every neat miss from now on.

[Obadiah]

Yeah, looks like a bad week to give up sniffing glue!

[mass55th]

Don't know how the extra vowels got attached to my tagline in my last post, but I'm hoping this post will fix it.

[doorgunner69]

I hate the traffic paaterns at LAX. Four, count 'em, (4) essentially parallel runways, planes being switched between them in the late stages of landing, taxiways that must cross runways with landing and departing aricraft. It is a clustf*ck waiting to happen.

To add to the confusion, there are two tower frequencies: one for the north two runways, another for the southern runways. So the plane coming in to land next to your plane is probably talking to a different controller than you!

LAX always gives me the willies. Was not too long ago a controller landed a plane right on top of another on the runway. Grisly.......

[Prince Charles]

The local controller's got some splainin' to do.

[relictele]

Clearance was mistakenly given when the pilots were transferred to the call queue in Bangalore.

The person who answered there didn't have a firm grasp of English and kept asking the pilots for their e-mail addresses.

[Moose4]

Yikes. I believe this has happened before at LAX, with a much worse result.

}:-)4

[Prince Charles]

I hate the traffic paaterns at LAX. Four, count 'em, (4) essentially parallel runways, planes being switched between them in the late stages of landing, taxiways that must cross runways with landing and departing aricraft. It is a clustf*ck waiting to happen.

Mayor Dummy has plans for 5 or 6 parallel runways at O'Hare; that will be a sight to behold.

[RicocheT]

Trifecta - against the usual odds!

[Illuminatas]

I picked a helluva week to give up sniffing glue.

[RckyRaCoCo]

The local controller's got some splainin' to do.

He certainly won't need a LAXative

[DainBramage]

"American 281 heavy cleared for final on runway 3left"

(controler thinks in head) "well two left now"

[MindBender26]

re: "It was pretty close."

B.S.

From article: "The pilot of the smaller plane saw the incoming Southwest jet and stopped short of the runway. The jet roared past about 275 feet away and 50 feet above the smaller plane.

The FAA spokesman said the Southwest jet landed without incident and never got closer than about 5,600 feet to the Air Canada jet."

Some incorrect ATC procedures, confusion between local (air) and ground controller, but no big problem.

BFD.

[Moose4]

Atlanta Hartsfield(-Jackson) is the same way. Four parallel runways with the terminal in the center, I think they take off on the inner ones and land on the outer ones. And they're adding a fifth.

}:-)4

[gridlock]

...six FReepin' seconds...

[Moose4]

275 feet away and 50 feet above? Sounds like he was at the hold short point.

Maybe this is why Mom says "look both ways before crossing the runway."

}:-)4

[jazusamo]

I'm sure many on the left will blame Ronald Reagan for firing the strikers. :)

[Westlander]

What's DTW's report card ?

[Petronski]

I picked a hell of a week to give up barbituates.

[Prince Charles]

It Depends...

[Recovering_Democrat]

The Air Traffic Control operator was obviously from the United Arab Emirates!!!

[VRWCmember]

Sounds straight out of Die Hard 2.

Or Airplane 1.

[Alouette]

why an air traffic controller directed three planes onto the same runway

So is LAX run by Dubai or UAE?

[MindBender26]

Ever fly into the old Hong Kong, Kai Tak?

You flew first ILS led DIRECTLY from outer marker into cliff side, but you changed frequencies at middle marker, made a 70 degree right and flew second ILS to touchdown.

Loads of fun.

[evets]

Whoo!

[doorgunner69]

*What's DTW's report card?*

?????

[Dan(9698)]

And they're adding a fifth.

The real problem is when they drink the fifth.

[ProtectOurFreedom]

February 1, 1991. Thirty-four passengers died at the Los Angeles International Airport when an incoming US Air Boeing 737 collided with a smaller SkyWest Metroliner commuter plane. The US Air jet landed on the smaller craft, flattening it and dragging it in flames into the side of an abandoned fire station. The crash claimed all 12 people on the smaller plane and 22 of the 89 aboard the larger US Air jet.

A colleague of mine was on the smaller plane.

[SENTINEL]

In other related news, Bush administration officials announced today that the US Government will sell the "management rights" of the FAA to a consortium of arab sheiks....

[Old Professer]

I think she was cross-trained afterward into TRACON.

[Frank_Discussion]

Sounds like an EX-LAX controller, methinks...