‘Really bad’: Ground vehicle crosses in front of American Airlines plane at Charlotte airport, pilot says

CHARLOTTE (WJZY) – A collision was avoided at the Charlotte Douglas International Airport after a vehicle pulled in front of a taxiing plane, according to the airport and American Airlines.

Officials say the CLT Airport ground vehicle reportedly entered the path of an American Airlines aircraft near the gate on Wednesday morning. There was no collision between the two vehicles.

Audio from the cockpit of the American Airlines plane obtained by outlets including ABC News and Simple Flying indicates that the pilot was forced to “slam on our brakes” to avoid hitting the vehicle.

“They just went right in front of us and we nearly hit them,” a pilot can he heard saying.

“Someone’s gotta be notified right away. That was really bad.”

Footage of the incident later shared to Nexstar’s WJZY of the incident appears to show two vehicles — both trucks — driving directly into the path of the plane, which stops. The trucks appear to keep driving.

The FAA, in a statement shared with Nexstar, said the incident occurred in an area of the airport not overseen by air traffic control. The agency is investigating.

American Airlines has since praised its crew for its handling of the incident.

“We’re proud of the professionalism of our crew and the action they took when a ground vehicle not affiliated with American Airlines entered the aircraft’s path on a taxiway,” American Airlines said in a statement.

CLT Airport, too, said it would be looking into the incident.

“Safety and security are top priorities at CLT, and this incident is being investigated in accordance with safety standards,” the airport wrote.

Wednesday’s incident occurred less than a month after two Air Canada pilots were killed when their aircraft collided with a fire truck that was crossing the tarmac at LaGuardia Airport in New York. In early April, the pilot of a Frontier Airways jet also claimed that he needed to hit the brakes after two trucks crossed in front of the plane while taxiing.

“It was real close. The closest I have ever seen,” he said in audio posted by ATC.com, the Associated Press reported at the time.

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