Basketball Team's Plane Nearly Hits Delta Jet Taking Off

The Gonzaga University men's basketball team had quite a close call on the tarmac at Los Angeles International Airport. 

Harrowing footage captured the moment when the team's chartered plane nearly collided with a Delta Air Lines flight taking off perpendicular to the aircraft taxiing below. "Stop, stop, stop!" an air traffic control officer said to the pilot of the Key Lime Air flight. Thankfully, no one was hurt and the Delta flight took off without a hitch. 

???? “STOP STOP STOP!” LAX ATC urgently called out to a Key Lime Air jet as a Delta jet took off from runway 24L. Was this a runway incursion? All of it captured live during Friday’s Airline Videos Live broadcast. pic.twitter.com/5vwQfVzggQ

— AIRLINE VIDEOS (@airlinevideos) December 28, 2024

The Federal Aviation Administration has opened an investigation into the incident. An FAA spokesperson explained what happened in a statement to KNBC. 

"Air traffic controllers directed Key Lime Air Flight 563 to hold short of crossing a runway at Los Angeles International Airport because a second aircraft was taking off from the runway at the time. When the Embraer E135 jet proceeded to cross the hold bars, air traffic controllers told the pilots to stop. The jet never crossed the runway edge line," the agency said. 

Key Lime Air's senior vice president Jon Coleman similarly spoke out after the near-crash. 

"Key Lime Air takes pride in its pilots and training model, a regimen that demands the highest competency in the industry today. Safety of those entrusted to us is our highest priority," Coleman said. "We are working within our own safety management system and with the FAA to determine the facts of the event and will respond accordingly."

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The Gonzaga Bulldogs lost against UCLA in their Dec. 28 match. The university explained to TMZ that the players onboard the plane the day before were none the wiser. 

"Our team members aboard the aircraft were unaware of the situation as it occurred, and we are grateful that the incident ended safely for all," the school said. 

Gonzaga will end the year in southern California with a Dec. 30 game against Pepperdine University.