VS023 in near miss at LAX

[Bazz]

From the LA Times.

FAA probes new close call at LAX

Officials investigate an incident in which a landing aircraft nearly hit a plane that made a wrong turn on a taxiway Sunday.
By Jennifer Oldham, Times Staff Writer
May 12, 2007

A jumbo jet barreling down a runway at up to 100 mph at Los Angeles International Airport came as close as 50 feet to a turboprop on a nearby taxiway, officials said, in the latest such incident to point up safety concerns with the airfield's layout.

Virgin Atlantic Airways Flight 23 sped by while SkyWest Airlines Flight 1006 breached a safety zone that separates the outer runway on the airport's north side from a taxiway leading toward the terminals.

Full piece can be read here. May require free subscription to read.

[Scrooge]

Well a 346 hitting a turbo prop would of been a mess..more so to the turbo prop of course.

Doesn't LAX have the ground radar system?

I am sure these things happen all the time ... bad but not disaster ... for example, on Tuesday on VS019 we took off fron LHR, climbed rapidly, then suddenly and noticeably levelled out ... moments later I could see a BMI A320 above us on a direct collision course but probably 1,000-ish+ feet above ... a little unnerving but reminded me of a time in the holding bay north of London when I could see the faces inside a certain BA Concorde's windows ... another time also on a VS019 we aborted landing due to the sort of thing as the LAX story ... maybe I am a cat, maybe it's sort of normal ... maybe it's scary?

Originally posted by GrinningJackanapes

One wonders what one would do in such an appropinquitious moment.

Indeed one does ! [:w]

(that has to be the "word of the forum" 2007)

[preiffer]

Further update here.

[Bazz]

This was a serious incident and potentially could have led to a fatal scenario. At the speed the A340-600 would have been traveling, had it clipped the SkyWest TurboProp, it would most likely have veered off the runway into God knows what. Thank goodness the FAA are taking it seriously and the sooner the safety improvements at LAX are completed the better.

[Scrooge]

Honestly I don't think there would have been enough forces involved to move the 346 off the runway.It would of damaged the wing of the 346 for sure.

After a little research it appears LAX does have ground radar, hence the alarm going off to warn the controllers of the situation.

This brings to your attention a little problem that is developing in US aviation.

Take a look at the regionals, their pilot/Fo crew's are young..real young for the most part.

AT some of them it is possible to get a left seat with as little as 300 hrs in type, this leads to well not to put to finer point on it, a situation where we have very junior pilots flying into heavily used airports where they are just waiting to put a foot wrong.

Now the big problem....if that wasn't enough....A lot of the mainline fleet pilots/FO are about to hit 60, FAA says they have to retire..guess where the airlines will pull the next generation of pilots, the military no longer produce enough pilots to cover the losses, FedEX, UPS et al are grabbing lots, paying better and offering more secure jobs.

Over seas airlines are taking US pilots...so at some point..while for sure the person in the right or left seat is qualified to fly the plane...well hell I "could" sail a boat across the Atlantic...don't think you would want to be a pax on it though.

Ok doomsday I know..sorry

[preiffer]

They're just about to put the mandatory retirement age up to 65 in the US, Dave. Not sure if that makes me feel more or less safe though!

[Scrooge]

Wasn't that shot down..let me do a quick hunt around.

EDIT: Nope your right, I am wrong [oo]

Proposal will take effect in 18 months to 2 years time.

Cool...and yes it does make me feel a hell of a lot better.

LINK