Jun 18, 2009 5:32 pm US/Eastern
AZ-Bound Plane Almost Hits Vehicle At Logan
Massport Suspends All Airfield Construction
BOSTON (WBZ) ―
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Logan Airport control tower
AP
It was a close call Thursday at Logan Airport for a Boston flight headed to Phoenix.
According to airport officials, US Airways flight 27 almost hit a construction vehicle on the tarmac as the plane was taking off.
NEAR COLLISION AS PLANE TAKES OFF
It appears the vehicle, which belongs to HNTB Construction, was crossing the runway when the plane was about to take off. There were 89 people on board the aircraft.
"If it had been 10 seconds later there could have been a collision between the truck and the airplane," said MIT professor and aviation expert Dr. John Hansman.
FAA officials are calling this a runway incursion, which is when a vehicle, aircraft or person is on the runway where a plane is about to take off or land.
"The trucks just like the airplanes are given clearance to operate on the airport's surface," Hansman explained. "They're normally told to hold short."
HNTB Construction said it has suspended the employee involved in the crash. Massport says it appears the driver of the vehicle violated airfield procedures.
CONSTRUCTION ACTIVITY SUSPENDED
Massport had to temporarily suspend all aircraft construction activity pending an investigation into the incursion.
Construction on the taxiway began last year. At the time the FAA called it a critical item to reduce problems.
LOGAN COMPLICATED TO MANUVER AROUND
According to the FAA, there were 13 incursions in 2008, four in 2007, seven in 2006 and 15 in 2005.
See a list of the most recent incidents at Logan
Since January, there have been three incursions, including Thursday's incident.
Hansman says Logan is a difficult airport to manuver around because of its layout.
"There are a lot of weird intersections," he said. "There are lots of intersections going in different directions. It's a fairly difficult airport compared to newer airports like Atlanta or Denver where all of the runways are more or less going in the same direction."
No one was injured in Thursday's incursion and the plane was able to take off at 6:36 a.m. It arrived safely in Phoenix around 9:16 a.m.
There were 84 passengers and five crew members on board the plane, according to US Airways officials.
The FAA is calling this a very serious incident and is investigating.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
List: Most Recent Runway Incursions At Logan
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