Pilots of an American Airlines plane had to slam on the brakes one-third of the way down the takeoff runway at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport to avoid colliding with two construction trucks on their way to a nearby jobsite.
The plane stopped just 4,000 feet from the trucks after the pilot of American Airlines Flight 2421 aborted the takeoff.
“They slammed on their brakes suddenly — naturally alarming all the passengers,” passenger Tom Windram told the Associated Press.
Flight 2421 later took off and landed without incident in Los Angeles. The plane carried 146 passengers and nine crew members.
The Federal Aviation Administration said air traffic controllers didn’t notice the trucks because they were preoccupied with a plane taking off after Flight 2421.
“They were making sure there was enough space between takeoffs and didn’t notice the trucks,” FAA spokesman Paul Erway told Dallas television station WFAA. “They were working on wake vortex spacing at the time and the vehicles managed to get on the runway without them seeing it.”
