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The Gonzaga basketball program endured a scary close call on the tarmac of the Los Angeles International Airport.
Air traffic controllers had to tell the pilot of the jet to stop on the tarmac to avoid another plane that was taking off, according to KXLY.com. The incident occurred around 4:30 p.m. on Friday. Gonzaga basketball was in town taking on UCLA basketball, a clash of two ranked teams. As the Key Lime Air chartered jet was taxiing, a Delta commercial plane was heading down the runway to take off.
Luckily, no one was injured, but it prompted an investigation by the Federal Aviation Administration. In the video that was uploaded to YouTube, videographer Kevin Ray said he never heard an Air Traffic Controller tell a plane to “stop” in the manner that it did.
“Wow, in the years I've been doing this, I've never heard an ATC controller tell a plane to ‘Stop, stop, stop,'” Ray said.
The sheer panic in the voice of the ATC was concerning, to say the least. Luckily, no one was harmed, but it isn't the first instance of planes having landing issues at LAX. On the north side of the airport, they have moved the two runways and put in the center taxi. This prevents planes from taking off, and landing at the same time, which could result in a collision.
Article Continues BelowWill the Gonzaga basketball plane be directly involved with the FAA investigation?
Although it was the Gonzaga basketball charter plane, the pilots responded to the ATC. They tell the pilots if the runways are clear, the landing space is clear, among many other things. However, an incident of that caliber is concerning and could frighten many. It's not often to hear an ATC controller freak out, especially with that urgency.
If anything, they might ask the players, coaches, or anyone on the plane if they felt something off. Still, it's mostly between the pilots, the ATC, the airline, and the FAA at this point. In a statement released by a Delta spokesperson, they said the flight operated as normal.
Hopefully, this is the last time an incident happens with Gonzaga basketball or any team. Uncertainty about a plane is never a good thing. There are no details on the Bulldogs' side of the investigation as of writing this. More details will be released once they are made public. However, whatever happened should be resolved immediately to ensure it doesn't happen again.
