Controllers Report Fifth Runway Incursion In Recent Weeks

For the fifth time since late May, officials at Los Angeles International Airport have reported a violation of spacing rules on the ground.

In this case, the offending aircraft, which had just arrived from Salt Lake City on July 1st, was ordered to stop short of the active runway. The Torrance Daily Breeze reports the aircraft stopped -- but apparently not short enough. A departing commuter aircraft headed for San Diego aborted take-off and diverted onto a taxiway to avoid the offender.

The aircraft were still 3,000 feet apart when controllers spotted the problem, according to FAA spokesman Donn Walker.

"There was almost no chance that anyone was in any danger," he told the Breeze.

A NATCA union official said a tower controller "very forcibly" ordered the departing flight to abort.

With five incidents categorized as runway intrusions -- all since the end of May -- airport officials are stepping up their efforts to add a taxiway between the south runways at LAX. They believe the construction of such a taxiway would knock down the number of incursions. At this point, there have been as many incursions at LAX since May as there were in all of 2004, according to the Breeze.

FMI: www.los-angeles-lax.com