‘We nearly hit them.’ American Airlines jet almost collides with truck at North Carolina airport

A screengrab from a video provided by the airport in Charlotte, N.C., shows two vehicles driving in front of an American Airlines jet. Photo by handout /Charlotte Douglas International Airport

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In an incident reminiscent of the crash at LaGuardia Airport last month that killed two Air Canada pilots, an American Airlines pilot had to slam on his jet’s brakes to avoid hitting an operations truck while taxiing at Charlotte Douglas International Airport in North Carolina on Wednesday morning.

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“So that white-black truck, they just went right in front of us, and we nearly hit them,” the pilot says. “I had to slam on our brakes. We had our taxi light on, we’d started moving. They need to be … someone’s got to be notified right away. That was really bad.”

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Air traffic control replies that he’ll “run the camera back” to identify the vehicle and asks which way it was travelling. “It was a white and black pick-up truck?” he asks.

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The pilot replies: “White and black, yeah, I think it was Ops (operations).” He repeats: “Yeah, that was really bad.”

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Video obtained by National Post shows the aircraft, an Airbus A319, starting to roll forward from a stop on the tarmac when two vehicles, the lead a black-and-white truck with flashing lights, drive in front of it. A third vehicle stops before crossing its path.

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The plane is moving very slowly, but can still be seen rocking as the brakes are applied and it stops suddenly. About a minute later, the plane starts moving forward again, and the third vehicle makes a turn to avoid crossing its path. The flight occurred without further incident.

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In a statement to National Post, an American Airlines spokesperson said: “Ground safety procedures require vehicles yield to aircraft at all times, particularly in active ramp and alleyway environments where visibility can be limited.”

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They added: “In this case, two vehicles associated with Charlotte Douglas International Airport (CLT) did not yield to our aircraft taxiing from an alleyway, but our vigilant and professional crew took immediate action. We appreciate that CLT Airport will be reviewing this.”

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American Airlines also pointed out that aircraft cockpit windows have a limited viewing area, and that it can be hard to see vehicles and pedestrians, particularly behind the wings or under the nose.

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“Always yield the right-of-way to moving aircraft,” they added. “Do not assume the pilot will see you, especially in busy areas like aprons/ramps where pilots are busy with preflight checks.”

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The Federal Aviation Administration confirmed it is investigating the information and told National Post: “The CLT event occurred in an area of the airport that air traffic does not control.”