Airport Employee Drove Vehicle Onto An Active Runway

A Delta Connection Embraer E170 was forced to abort a takeoff from KLAX Tuesday morning when a long-time airport employee drove a vehicle onto the active runway.

ABC Radio reports that the plane had 76 passengers on board and was departing for Kansas City, MO. The plane was traveling down the runway at just under 90 knots when the crew received a warning about the vehicle about 3,500 feet ahead of them on the runway.

The pilot managed to stop the airplane while airport officials raced out to intercept the vehicle.

The long-time employee was not authorized to be operating a vehicle on the runway, and was given a citation. It was not reported why he had driven onto an active runway.

To complicate matter, controllers were dealing with an emergency landing because a passenger on another airplane had suffered a cardiac arrest, and a separate airplane with a mechanical issue.

The Delta Connection flight taxied back into line, and finally departed without incident about an hour behind schedule. The FAA has the incident under investigation.

(Image from file. Not incident airplane)

FMI: www.faa.gov