The FAA initiated an investigation into a potentially catastrophic incident at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) on Friday, where a Delta aircraft nearly collided with the Gonzaga men’s basketball team’s charter plane.
Video evidence captured Delta Flight 471 preparing for takeoff when an air traffic controller urgently shouted, “Stop, stop, stop!” to the charter aircraft carrying the basketball team across the runway.
Fortunately, the warning proved effective, allowing the Atlanta-bound flight to depart without incident.
The basketball team had just arrived at LAX aboard a Key Lime Air flight, a charter service provider based in Colorado.
Plane spotter Kevin Ray captured and shared the footage on YouTube, expressing alarm with “Wow!” at what could have been a serious incident.
Standard commercial aircraft typically achieve speeds between 150 and 180 miles per hour before lifting off, varying by aircraft weight. A collision at such speeds could have been fatal.
“In the years I’ve been doing this, I’ve never heard a ATC controller tell a plane to ‘Stop, stop, stop,'” noted the plane spotter.
Delta informed Fox News Digital on Monday that they were not aware of any FAA investigation. “Delta flight 471 operated as normal, and we are not aware of any communication from the FAA regarding this flight,” a spokesperson said. “We are cooperating with aviation officials on their investigation.”
This close call occurred shortly after the tragic Jeju Air accident in South Korea that claimed 179 lives. The incident happened as Flight 2216 attempted to land at Muan International Airport in Muan County, South Jeolla Province.
