Near collision on LAX runway under investigation

FAA looking into whether mistakes between a pilot a ground traffic controller almost caused two planes to collide.  Mistakes by a pilot and a ground traffic controller appear to have led to a near-collision Thursday afternoon on the northern runway at Los Angeles International Airport, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.

A WestJet Boeing 737 arriving from Calgary, Canada, came within 50 to 200 feet of a Northwest Airbus A320 that was taking off for Memphis just before 1 p.m., according to FAA spokesman Ian Gregor.

The pilot aboard the WestJet Boeing 737 had switched radio frequencies to the ground traffic controller before receiving final instructions from the air traffic controller, Gregor said.

The ground controller then mistakenly cleared the pilot to cross the runway and proceed to his gate, believing that an air controller had already given the go-ahead, according to Gregor.

“Because the pilot switched frequency right away, it created a situation where the ground controller was confused,” Gregor said.

The WestJet pilot looked down the runway and saw the Northwest Airbus A320 beginning to take off, then asked the ground controller to confirm whether he was clear to cross the runway, Gregor said. The ground controller then realized that the pilot was not cleared to cross the runway, and instructed him to stop.

At the same time, an automated anti-collision system at the airport sounded.

“We are investigating this as both pilot error and controller error,” Gregor said. “Even though the two aircraft got too close to each other, the safety system worked because both the pilot and the controller realized something was amiss, and the anti-collision system sounded an alarm.”

No injuries were reported during the airport’s eighth so-called “runway incursion” this year, matching the total number of so-called near-misses in 2006